The Scientific Reason Why Playing Golf Is So Addictive (And How It Links To Slot Machines)
Golfers don't just love the game - their brains are hooked on it. But why do we keep coming back? I researched the science behind the addictive nature of golf
It's a tale as old as time. A golfer hits one great drive down the 18th and completely disregards the 17 holes of mediocrity that came before it.
But, why do we feel compelled to immediately book our next tee time off the back of one decent strike?
Despite what your partner, relatives or friends might say - it's not because we want to escape the house for four hours every day (or not just because of that, anyway).
It's actually because our brains crave the dopamine spikes that the game of golf provides, as outlined in a number of research studies that explain phenomena like variable-ratio reinforcement and reward prediction error.
These studies discuss the relationship between the spikes we experience after hitting a great shot, or even waiting for that moment to occur, to playing slot machines and video games.
As a totally obsessed golfer myself, I was captivated by the findings. Golfers think they want perfection, but perfection would actually ruin the game of golf. Let me explain the science behind why that is...
The Scientific Reason Why Playing Golf Is So Addictive
I've been addicted to golf for almost a decade, after coming into the sport a little later than most, but I have always wondered what it is that prevents me from walking away despite hundreds of dreadful performances on the course.
If I was playing darts and barely hit the board, or playing tennis and couldn't keep it on the court, I am fairly confident I would have chucked away the arrows and snapped the racket a long time ago.
So, in order to find out why, I decided to do some research.
I am certainly not claiming to be an expert in human brain function - but the information I read about B. F. Skinner's theory of variable-ratio reinforcement and W. Schultz's theory of reward prediction error answered many of my questions.
In the interest of helping other golfers understand their compulsion to tee it up or helping them to explain to their spouses why they do in fact need to play again this weekend... I've broken down some of the key points below.
Variable-Ratio Reinforcement
In a number of studies between 1938 and 1957, B.F. Skinner outlined how schedules of rewards dictate human behaviour.
Skinner explained that variable-ratio schedules, meaning delivering a reward after an unpredictable number of actions, produces a high response rate from humans and provides resistance to quitting.
In relation to golf, this links to the familiar feeling of chasing that next great shot.
Every golfer, irrespective of their handicap index, will be able to recall a shot that exceeded their expectations - and it's the dopamine spike that provides which keeps us coming back.
As we can't predict when that outcome will occur, the anticipation adds to the excitement.
The variation in potential outcomes and our inability to accurately predict when the reward will come is what keeps us coming back
This is similar to the feelings experienced when playing slot machines or video games. Every time a player spins the slot machine they anticipate the possibility of a big win.
Often, the result fails to live up that - but we keep spinning anyway as we chase the dopamine-inducing moment where the reels fall into place and the coin dispenser kicks in.
Similarly in video games, we perform actions in anticipation of a reward.
When defeating the opponent, you might pick up some loot or tech that can improve your standing in the game - but if you received that every time it would become less exciting.
Intermittent reinforcement is a key reason for the hold that the game of golf has over players.
When playing slot machines or video games, the intermittent and unpredictable nature of the reward, and the size of the payout, is what hooks us... and it's no different on the golf course.
The centred strike after 10 bad shots is what produces the dopamine spike that keeps players hooked.
Reward Prediction Error
In studies published between 1997 and 2002, Wolfram Schultz published research papers that outlined reward prediction error.
This suggests that dopamine neurons fire most intensely when an unexpected reward occurs, or when it exceeds expectations, when compared to receiving a predictable reward.
When I stand on the tee, I expect a horrendous slice that will most likely end up in the trees on the right. So, when I flush a 240-yard drive down the middle, I get an intense dopamine spike due to that reward prediction error.
I wasn't expecting it, or at least I couldn't predict that would happen based on previous shots and the likelihood of a positive outcome, so the neurological reward is far better.
The dopamine spike experienced after a great shot is highly addictive
Uncertainty in reward timing and value maximises the release of this addictive hormone, which again explains why chasing a great shot or lower scores on the golf course is a compelling reason for continued participation.
This again is similar to outcomes like hitting the jackpot or large payout on a slot machine or unlocking a legendary player on a sports video game.
If we experienced the same outcome every time we hit a golf shot, the game would lose its addictive pull.
Rather than the excitement and anticipation of the intermittent reward potential offered by a slot machine, the experience now becomes similar to the 100% predictability of a vending machine - and I don't see casinos in Las Vegas filled with those.
Motor Skill Acquisition
In golf instruction and sports psychology papers/literature, researchers explain why we continue to return to the driving range in search of answers to our golfing problems.
Hitting a bad shot creates a dopamine crash, but a good shot delivers a surge.
Golfers crave that positive feeling that comes after hitting a good one, so they repeat the swing over and over again until they find it.
So, the better we get the more we will receive that feeling, right?
Well, our brain constantly shifts the goalposts in line with our expectations and improvement. You would receive a huge dopamine spike for breaking 100 for the first time, but when that happens again in the future the reward diminishes.
Instead, you now need to break 95 or 90 to experience that high.
That's why you will hear scratch golfers complaining about a 'terrible' shot that lands pin-high around 15-feet from the pin, but a high-handicap golfer would trade their left foot for a shot that good.
The parameters for what is 'good' and 'bad' are different for every golfer, but we are all chasing the sensational reward that hitting a great shot brings.
