[UnoriginalGuy]

Buying lottery tickets is completely rational.

Buying a lottery ticket gives you licence to dream. If you don't buy one then you're stuck in your respective rut (family, work, financial, geographical, etc). But if you do buy one then you can dream about "what I would do if I won!"

It doesn't matter if the chances are one in a trillion, because winning is only a small part of the "value."

There are two distinct types of lottery tickets, each with different kinds of value: instant gratification (e.g. scratch offs) where the exciting aspect is higher but the time to dwell is lower, or the delayed gratification (e.g. weekly draws) where excitement is lower/delayed but the dwelling time is higher.

But in general every time I read someone bash lottery ticket buyers because "don't they know the odds!!!" I just have to roll my eyes. Because these people couldn't have missed the point more.

[philwelch]

Sometimes I fantasize about winning the lottery but never get around to buying the ticket. It's the perfect scam.

[UnoriginalGuy]

That's basically thought-theft. You're stealing from the lottery without even realising it.

Go hand yourself in to the nearest police station right now!

[subsection1h]

    Buying a lottery ticket gives you licence to dream. 

Seems like a waste of mental energy. I think people would be better off dreaming about a goal (e.g., having a successful company, earning an MD, and getting tenure) while working towards that goal.

Buying lottery tickets in order to dream about winning seems about as sensible as tossing money into wishing wells or collection plates.

[jrogers65]

I would argue that it's completely irrational precisely because it gives you license to dream. It gives you a feeling of satisfaction, that you've taken a chance which could really change your life.

The problem is that it won't and that the satisfaction will relax you and reduce the probability of taking real action to improve your life. If you want life changes then you must reduce, not increase comfort. Make yourself as uncomfortable as possible and you will have a real reason to go out there and do what you need to. Gamble, drink, socialise or dream your life away and you will be stuck in a rut.

The point is that we must shape our lives such that rewards come from actions which are beneficial in the true sense. Being rewarded for stupidity will only encourage more stupidity.