I’m listening to a podcast by Tim Ferriss interviewing Jane McGonical – who says that she enjoys watching games she knows how to play, and predicting who wins. Her games of choice are tennis matches.
While seemingly trivial, according to her research – doing so creates anticipation and releases a healthy amount of dopamine, regardless of the outcome.
If your prediction is right, you get a pat on the back; and if your prediction is wrong, you get to learn what went wrong and you’re wiser. How often can you bet on a win/win situation?
She also cited that peoples’ moods are less happy during sports off-seasons; and she also chooses tennis matches because there is only one month when there are no games. A hedge against depression.
So interesting!
If you decided to try this, what would you predict? I’m not a sports guy, so I’d have to find something else to play fortune teller with. Maybe reading a mystery book or watching a mystery show on Netflix – because I love reading, and I love guessing who committed the crime and looking back at clues when I failed. Any recommendations?
