Whether you're in Las Vegas or the small-town casino down the street, slot machines sound more or less the same: jangly music, the whir of spinning reels, accompanied by loud beeps and chimes.
A recent study shows that some of those noises can easily fool our brains into thinking that we won — even when we have unequivocally lost money.
"The way slot machines are designed, sound is a really crucial component of player feedback," said lead author and behavioral neuroscientist Michael Dixon of the University of Waterloo in Ontario.