One of everyone’s biggest dreams is to someday win the lottery, right? The thought of gaining millions of dollars by not doing anything is simply amazing. However, it is not as good as you might think, and here are a couple reasons why actually losing the Powerball, or lottery, is good.
ONE
There was a study taken back in 1978, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, that interviewed lottery winners, non-winners, and people who had been in a serious accident. The study found that the lottery winners were at first severely happy but then went back to normal. They were actually about as happy as the non-winners, and only a little happier than the people involved in serious accidents.
TWO
Another study was taken, in 2008 by the University of California, that showed that lottery winners had no effect on their happiness. This study measured the winners happiness six months after they won, and there was no increase.
THREE
There was a man, Jack Whittaker, who won the Powerball jackpot way back in 2002. He first gave $14 million of the Powerball to charity, but then it went downhill. He then had his house broken into, his car broken into, and then received multiple DUI’s. He was quoted as saying that he wished he had torn that Powerball ticket in half. Those are some strong words from a man who most would consider being the luckiest man on Earth.
FOUR
The overall main reason why losing the Powerball is actually a good thing is money can change you. Sure, millions of dollars sound nice, but money ultimately leads to greed. Also, nobody really knows what to do with this much money, unless you’re a professional athlete. Next time you lose the Powerball, make sure to not feel depressed. Instead, count yourself lucky because it could have ended up affecting your life in a negative way.
