In the zone After 30 minutes, participants filled out
questionnaires designed to measure their state
of immersion by asking them how much they
agreed with statements such as “I felt
completely absorbed” and “I felt I lost track
of time”. Those who had previously showed
signs of problem gambling were not only more
likely to describe themselves as being “in a
trance” while playing, but were also worse at
reacting to the red squares. The more addicted
the players, as measured by the researchers,
the less aware they were of their surroundings,
and the more immersed in the game they
someone may be able to resist their cravings
until they visit a place where they normally
take a drug or meet a person with whom
they do it. “Certain cues and stressors elicit
very, very strongly engendered habits and
people lapse into compulsive use because
they have lost control,” says Everitt.
But what about behaviours? The notion
that people could become addicted to these
found scientific recognition in 1980 when
what is now called gambling disorder was first
recognised by the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, an influential
guide to psychiatric disorders. In 2008, the
NHS’s only specialist service dealing with
this issue opened, the National Problem
Gambling Clinic, which sees between 750
and 900 people every year.
Then, in around 2012, the first studies
were conducted using PET imaging to look
at the dopamine system in people with a
gambling addiction. Luke Clark, who is now
director of the University of British Columbia’s
Centre for Gambling Research, and his
colleagues found that although drugs have
a much more powerful effect on dopamine
Compulsive sexual behaviour is now considered
