In the article: Psychology of Poverty: Why Poor People Buy Lottery Tickets; it talks about a research which compares the action and desire for buying lottery tickets with income. It was interesting how the researchers differentiate between the rich and the poor. They want the participants to decide whether they are rich or poverty by themselves. The researchers influenced participants' perceptions of their relative wealth — or lack thereof — by having them complete a survey on their opinions of the city of Pittsburgh that included an item on annual income. The group made to feel poor was asked to provide its income on a scale that began at "less than $100,000" and went upward from there in $100,000 increments, ensuring that most respondents would be in the lowest income category. The group made to feel subjectively wealthier was asked to report income on a scale that began with "less than $10,000" and increased in $10,000 increments, leading most respondents to be in a middle or upper tier. After participants completed their survey, participants, who were recruited at Pittsburgh's Greyhound Bus terminal, were paid $5 for completing the survey and given the opportunity to buy as many as five scratch-off lottery tickets. The experimental group purchased an average of 1.27 lottery tickets, compared with 0.67 tickets bought by the members of the control group.
Comparing people who thought that they were poor with those who thought they were wealthy, ''the poor'' got double chance then ''the rich'' to buy lottery tickets. However, is there really having such difference between 'the rich' and 'the poor'? No, it was the way that the researcher controls participant's psychology. After reading this article, I think that the point of view how people conclude themselves is by comparing themselves with others. It is impossible that every one can be a millionaire or make profit as much as a chairman who manages a huge company. People used to look up to their goal, but the goal is too far away from their own conditions, they feel that they are poverty because the targets are too hard to get. Isn't it a kind of poverty that comes from human being's psychology?
According to the U.S. lottery management statistics in the United States, every year at least eight of the one million U.S. dollars and 10 million dollars prize of the "lottery millionaire", have now been returned to the starting point. Another track data also pointed out that big lottery jackpot winner, as the millionaire's life of an average of 7 to 8 years, that is, after eight years, the majority of lottery winners are bankrupt, and the final life is worse then he got first prize before. The man who won the firsr prize must got enough money to live his life, why he finally lost his fortune in the end? Money can not satisfy people, we always want more and cannot satisfy with what we have already owned. Psychology of poverty hunting people in their mind!
I saw a news recently. A real case like the movie,Slumdog Millionaire, happened it India. A poor man joined a quiz show, answering all questions correctly and won 1 million us dollars. He reads a lot of books so he is very knowledge. But such a man rich in knowledge also wants to become a really wealty man.
回覆刪除I think it's complicated. Many poor people donnate what they have to those who are more poorer. When we hear this kind of thing, we say: they are kind and they are satisfied with their lives even though their lives are in bad condition. But when we see a rich man do the same thing, we take it for granted and seldom regard them as kind ones. I think we have a stereotype that rich people always want more money, they never feel content with money. However, maybe that is their practice of their goal. What they want is just to challenge themselves. They don't really purse money but the results show up in the form of money. What I want to express is we should feel poor in mind somehow. If we are always content with things as they are, we may make life boring and meanineless.
I like the idea contained in the article.People feel they are in poverty often is result from comparison. " Enough is as good as feat." Each time we feel like we are inferior to someone richer than us, maybe we should know that there are more people inferior to us in the world.
回覆刪除However,regardless of comparison, I think it is a truth that human being are live tougher than before. We have to work harder to get something used to get easily. Poverty is a serious problem when it decide whether you will die for it or not. It has nothing to do with content, it is about surviving.
People have endless desire. Poor people want to acquire money for living, and rich people just want more money for spending. This kind of poverty as you mention is not completely the material poverty. People want money is because they see others have more property than they do. If we only pursue the money for the desire, we may lost our mind in the end.
回覆刪除In the first paragraph you clearly write a summarization of the article: Psychology of Poverty: Why Poor People Buy Lottery Tickets that make readers understand this experiment which test people’s self- perception of feeling wealthy or poor. Here the “cause” (experiment) and effect(people’s self- perception) let we know that difference between 'the rich' and 'the poor'? No, it was the way that the researcher controls participant's psychology.
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