Quote for the Week
Psychologists tell us, and I fear with more truth than most of us realize, or would willingly admit, that human conduct in general is influenced more by emotion than by reason, and that this is true even when we rationalize most successfully, or in other words, fool ourselves into believing that we are logically thinking things out. On the side of emotional appeal, as applied to our present problem, it is hardly necessary to dwell on the well-known gambling instinct, so generally implanted in human nature, and currently evidenced in so many different ways, from the operation of “bingo” games to help out the church budget to the spread of legalized betting on horse races. I will add only that the gambling instinct is perhaps most insidious in its appeal when the victim can persuade himself, as wishful thinking apparently makes it easy to do, that he is engaged in legitimate investment transactions.
Closely related, though not identical, is the seductive lure of easy money—big profits, the thought of which too easily blinds the eyes to the accompanying risks; and this perhaps, even more than the gambling instinct, lends itself to the powerful and dangerous influence of wishful thinking. — Henry Dunn (source)