Brains, Bets & Bias: How Men and Women Gamble Differently

[Tero]

What if your brain is wired differently when it comes to gambling?

Well, it is. At least when compared to the opposite sex.

You sit at a gambling table and you make a decision. To what did you based that decision on? Your experience, skill, intellect or just dumb luck?

If you say men do usually this, this, and this, and women act that and that way - to where do you base those views? On your own experiences and beliefs?

Do you wish to know what science has to say about it?

In a study conducted by The National Institutes of Health ten male and ten female participants were performing gambling related tasks while being under a PET scan.

This video explains the gambling tasks.

According to the study men and women use different parts of their brains while making gambling decisions.

Even though the same basic cognitive processes are involved for both genders, the areas of the brain that "light-up" under a scan (neural activation patterns) are quite different.

I am now going to highlight five parts of the brain and explain how these areas reacted differently in men and women.

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex helps in decision making and understanding rewards.

This area was active on both genders but it became more active in men during risky decision making.
It could indicate that men rely more on this part of the brain while weighing high risk/reward situations.

Striatum (especially the Nucleus Accumbens) is activated during pleasurable experiences, like winning.

Again, both genders displayed activity in this area. However, during smaller wins/rewards the area was more active in women than in men. One explanation could be that women rather engage in more cautious and lower-risk gambling behavior than men and are more sensitive towards smaller rewards.

Insula is part of the brain that helps us process emotions and gut feelings.

It is kinda a like a warning system. When the participants were faced with losses or risky choices women displayed more activity in this area. This could suggest that women could be more inclined to stop gambling earlier than men when facing losses.

Amygdala - you know this one. It is part where fear and anxiety hangs out.

Both genders displayed activity in this area but more activity was found in men's brains when they were facing risky decisions. This finding was explained in a way that men may be more willing to take risks despite fear or anxiety.

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex controls impulsive behavior and is involved in thinking and planning.

Even though both genders showed activity in this area it was more active in women when deciding on risky outcomes. This could mean that women use more self-control and planning in these situations than men.

To sum things up

Men may rely more on brain regions that are related to reward and risk-taking and be more impulsive while women may be more cautious and display better self-control.

 

[najisami]

Men may rely more on brain regions that are related to reward and risk-taking and be more impulsive while women may be more cautious and display better self-control.

Before I see the video or read what that study came up with, I 'd like to say right away that I agree with that summary.
I always thought that women are more cautious in life in general, hence in gambling, and I also believe in women's better intuition when it comes to quick decisions whilst men are better in taking meditated ones, but that's only my opinion.

Going to watch the video now...

 

[Tero]

For some reason the link to the study was left out of the article even though I clearly remember adding it. So here's the link:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8563020_Sex-related_Differences_in_a_Gambling_Task_and_Its_Neurological_Correlates

 

[najisami]

For some reason the link to the study was left out of the article even though I clearly remember adding it. So here's the link:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8563020_Sex-related_Differences_in_a_Gambling_Task_and_Its_Neurological_Correlates

I was wondering where it was because I knew you'd include it in the post .
Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to read the whole thing right now.

But I watched the video. Thank you for posting it. I found it very interesting. I even subscribed to that channel and watched another video about Skinner and his behavioral theories, loved it .

 

[RALF_AK]

...not just in poker, but in the decisions that are made in everyday life, women in their majority have more prudence and more perception as a whole... in poker the majority play in a more prudent way... I agree with the research... I see the decisions we make in poker very similar to the ones we need to make in everyday life and that is incredible!!!

 

[fishvolatil]

Woah, I participated in tests like those at college, nice to see someone actually published anything reasonable about it.

Now - how often do you know which gender you're playing against when playing online?

 

[sibkaz]

Women's psychology is understood only by women! ) Often, behind the mask of a lamb, there is a dinosaur adapting to everything...) This is a constant researcher of everything possible by a man...)))

 

[Tero]

Now - how often do you know which gender you're playing against when playing online?

Impossible to know. But in poker it might be safe to say that the majority of online players are men.

 

[riff_raff312]

I'm not sure about that Tero some times it's hard to tell by the screen name or in some cases impossible it may be more like 50/50 just my opinion.

 

[Sunz of Beaches]

Hello, What do you mean with 50/50? The majoritys are definitely men, there is is no doubt about that as far as I'm not mistaken.

I'm not sure about that Tero some times it's hard to tell by the screen name or in some cases impossible it may be more like 50/50 just my opinion.

 

[fishvolatil]

Impossible to know. But in poker it might be safe to say that the majority of online players are men.

yeah, it's funny, when I play the women only stuff on pokerstars, 1/4 of the players have names that suggest they are actually indeed men. I always wonder if it's girls disguised as male profiles (yeah, we do that on MMORPGs to escape bias), or if it's really men who decided to take a risk and play a tournament unallowed for them

 

[najisami]

Impossible to know. But in poker it might be safe to say that the majority of online players are men.

I definitely agree, most poker players are men, live or online alike. But the number of female players is increasing though.
Now, why did we deviate from the original topic? .

 

[antonis32123]

I think men might be more aggressive than women , either on poker or any other casino game . It's a characteristic of man mostly . That doesn't mean there are not women who might bet much aggressively and more than many men . But statistically and logically men bluff or risk more , women play more passively on average

 

[Natox]

Hey there,
in my opinion, men and women gamble differently in terms of preferred games, betting habits, and motivations, though there is overlap. Women often favor low-risk, non-skill games like online slots or lotteries, and may gamble for emotional escape or as a more calculated "investment". In contrast, men frequently engage in strategy-based games such as poker and sports betting, are more optimistic about large wins, and may be more prone to frequent and larger wagers. However, some recent findings show women are increasingly participating in sports betting, with some studies finding they bet larger amounts per wager than men, while men bet more frequently.

Greetings,
Natox

 

[fishvolatil]

I definitely agree, most poker players are men, live or online alike. But the number of female players is increasing though.
Now, why did we deviate from the original topic? .

because the original topic is based on empirical results, which pretty much limits how much you can discuss the topic - whatever the personal opinion of anyone is, there is backed up data on why they're wrong or right and why their bias does not matter

 

[Tero]

because the original topic is based on empirical results, which pretty much limits how much you can discuss the topic - whatever the personal opinion of anyone is, there is backed up data on why they're wrong or right and why their bias does not matter

I think there is plenty to discuss. For example, if one knows with certainty that he/she is playing against the opposite (or even same) sex, are there any noticeable patterns that one has recognized, or does one change one's playing style when opponent's sex is known?

 

[fishvolatil]

Gotcha, fair point. On the small field tournaments I play where I know most of the players, I'd say it still boils back to tournament type, phase and player personalities, very hard to draw any patterns. So I would only dare to come to one conclusion - after losing a big pot during late reg, male players from some regions tend to spam offensive emojis, shove the next 3 hands out of tilt and then disappear, while female players simply silently shove to recover stack through rebuy and make the best of the rebuy (unless they're playing for a team/stable) stack. But again, I'd call it a trend, not a rule.