While many people who gamble enjoy the activity and find it rewarding, some individuals escalate their betting and continue to do so despite experiencing negative consequences. In this lecture, I will introduce how the brain processes rewards and helps motivate us to act. I will then discuss what happens in the brain when a person gambles and how the brain might respond differently when gambling becomes problematic. New research on how to reduce problematic or harmful gambling will also be highlighted.

About the speaker:
Dr Bryan Singer is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at The University of Sussex. He is the Director of the Sussex Addiction Research & Intervention Centre and a member of the Sussex Neuroscience Centre of Excellence. His lab aims to understand the psychological and neurobiological underpinnings of motivated behaviour. In particular, he studies how individuals vary in aspects of behavioural and drug addictions, as well as other impulsivity-related conditions (e.g., ADHD). Examples of ongoing studies include investigations into the biopsychology of gambling disorder (e.g., the influence of free bets; psychosocial therapies), behavioural economic modelling of drug use (and the impact of pharmacotherapies), and screening methods for addiction and ADHD (using our excessive attention & motivation virtual reality platform).

Sussex Universe:
Sussex Universe is the public lecture series from the science schools at the University of Sussex. Lectures take place every two weeks during the Autumn and Spring teaching semesters. The lectures are completely free to attend and are accessible to a broad audience with no background knowledge.

Drop-ins are still welcome, but we recommend booking in advance.