Learn / The Archive / Why near misses feel close

Why near misses feel close

In a slot machine study, near misses felt worse than clear losses, yet made people want to keep playing. Brain scans showed some of the same reward areas responding as they did for real wins. A hand that almost won is still a loss.

Clark and colleagues, 2009, Neuron · Read the study

Some studies agree, some do not. Our summary, in our own words.