I doubt they are programed with a disire to own things just to own them.
The ability to provide for a partner and your family is a very important factor in trying to attract a mate. That's why when men go out on dates we wear the "nice watch," expensive clothes, make our car look really nice, etc. Owning things is a way to display our wealth and display our ability to support a potential partner and offspring.
I like a simple life myself. I want things that I use for enjoyment, education (internet) or things I need (food, shelter) I have very few things that fit into the category of material possessions.
I highly doubt that. For one, having internet necessitates having a computer. My guess is you also own a car, TV, etc. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here).
Why would you think people are terrible with probability? Are we talking gambling?
Because we are, and it's been demonstrated over and over.
And I mean we're COMICALLY bad.
For one, we aren't programed to think logically. Gil Grissom from CSI summed it up very nicely:
"If you're a young human on the Savannah and you hear the leaves rustle you can either stay or run. If you stay and or wrong, it could be a Lion and you get eaten. But if you run, you're safe either way. We're programed to see things that aren't there."
Another example: You have $1. Which lottery would you play?
- Twenty people + you each pay $1 and get one ticket.
- You only get one one ticket. I pay $20 and get 20 tickets.
Which one would you choose? I'm guessing #2. Nearly everybody does. But in fact your odds of winning are exactly the same in either scenario (1-in-21). The explanation is that when everyone gets a ticket you think "I'm just as likely to win as anybody else!" But when I get 20 tickets you think, "This is RIGGED! It's obvious who's going to win!" But in fact it's the exact same question mathematically, even though the answer seems obvious.
And an anecdote: Flying is the safest mode of transportation in the world per mile traveled. After 9/11, people took to the roads because they were afraid to fly. Some suggest the added traffic may have killed nearly as many people as the 9/11 attacks themselves.
NOW...where
Harry Guerrilla goes
wrong is that, if this is indeed an innate, human trait (it is) then it should transcend socioeconomic classes and therefore doesn't explain why the poor tend to gamble much more often than the rich.
Studies have said that, in fact, knowledge about statistics IS NOT a factor in how often or how much people gamble. Now, I WORK in a casino and I can tell you I don't 100% agree with this. I do think some think they can win.
But my own opinion is just that the poor have a level of hope that exceeds their rational thinking. They realize they're probably going to lose but
MAYBE THIS ONCE they can get lucky!!! After all, they're poor already. What have they got to lose?