 Unfair playing fields, pay gaps drag down everyone's motivation Washington DC (UPI) Sep 04, 2020 - When people are rewarded unequally for the same work, everyone's motivation suffers. According to a new study, published Friday in the journal PLOS One, large disparities in compensation cause workers to feel less happy and, a result, it decreases their desire to work. "Here we have shown the psychological impacts of inequality of opportunity, and how it can hurt the productivity and well-being of everyone involved," lead study author Filip Gesiarz, doctoral student in experimental psychology at the University College London, said in a news release. "Our findings may shed light on how psychological mechanisms, apart from structural barriers, can contribute to higher unemployment and lower university application rates of people from disadvantaged backgrounds," Gesiarz said. "It's more difficult to motivate yourself to work hard if you know that other people will be more generously rewarded for the same effort." For the study, researchers recruited 810 participants to complete a straight-forward task in exchange for varying amounts money. Researchers told some participants that they were being paid more or less than others performing the same task. Participants were given the opportunity to opt out of the task, and some participants were surveyed about their feelings during their performance of the task. The experiments showed people were less inclined to work when they were informed of unequal compensation. People who were told they were being paid less than others were predictably less motivated to work, but researchers were surprised to find that those advantaged by wide compensation disparities were also less motivated. "People who are economically disadvantaged might face a two-fold reduction in motivation and well-being -- first due to their lower relative position, and second due to their reaction to the unfair distribution of opportunities," Gesiarz said. Survey results showed participants were more likely to report feelings of unhappiness as compensation disparities increased. The effect may partially explain why disadvantaged people experience disproportionate levels of anxiety and depression. "This study documents yet another example of a 'poverty trap': a situation in which being put at a disadvantage by random circumstances decreases a person's motivation to work, further worsening their situation," said study co-author Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an associate professor of economics at Oxford University.
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Holding a fist up next to his head like a soldier, Huang Chunhao makes a solemn vow.
"I hereby swear an oath: from today onwards, I will correct bad habits, be kind to others and try my best to get rid of gambling addiction."
Gambling was outlawed in mainland China along with other activities deemed vices by the Communist Party when it took over in 1949, but is making a comeback via websites and apps aimed at Chinese customers and based offshore.
One of these, based in the Philippines, dragged Huang into what his wife Zhao Jing called a "bottomless pit" of compulsive wagering that left them more than two million yuan ($290,000) poorer.
"It always will be a losing game and has ripped my family apart," said Huang, a 32-year-old vegetable wholesaler.
Helping him climb out this hole is Si Guoqi, a former hair salon owner and self-proclaimed gambling expert who now operates a Shanghai rehabilitation centre.
Established in 2017, it has been billed as the country's first rehab solely dedicated to gambling addiction.
During the centre's standard week-long programme, participants are given an old mobile phone without internet access to prevent them from logging on and placing bets.
Treatment is a mix of behind-the-scenes education on how gambling is arranged to ensure that "the house always wins", psychological treatment and advice on lifestyle changes to promote healthy routines and keep one's mind off gambling.
- 'You can't get away' -
Si's own family was nearly torn apart by his wife's compulsive gambling at the Chinese game mahjong, and he used to sell mahjong-playing equipment.
He calls online gambling a "virus".
"If it activates your greed, you can't get away," he said.
With the growth of internet access and mobile communications in China, increasing numbers of operators are seeking to take advantage with Chinese-language gambling platforms, according to official data.
Online gambling options abound, offering everything from baccarat to blackjack and sports betting.
Si estimates that 70 percent of such operators set up servers in the Philippines.
In the first half of 2020, Chinese police busted more than 250 cross-border gambling cases, arresting more than 11,500 suspects, according to state media.
Gambling was a huge business in China in pre-Communist times, and there are signs of growing official unease that it could return.
The central government is even planning to impose restrictions on Chinese citizens travelling to overseas tourist destinations where gambling is rife, state news agency Xinhua reported on August 26.
- 'I can't be slack' -
Online platforms sometimes entice unwitting victims with ruses -- Huang clicked a pop-up ad for a part-time jobs site but was quickly diverted into gambling.
He lost 80,000 yuan in one bet as his debts spiralled.
This year's lengthy pandemic lockdowns made it worse as Huang attempted to use the time to recoup past losses.
His debts forced him to sell his family's home in rural eastern China, and his wife -- from whom Huang once surreptitiously syphoned away 30,000 yuan -- divorced him.
Up to 50 people enrol in the centre's programme per month and Si says he has helped more than 10,000 people over the past dozen years. Many are tech-savvy teens.
Though they are now divorced, Huang's wife Zhao Jing is supporting him as he battles his demons.
They now plan to work toward clearing his debts within a year, get remarried and make a new start.
"Seeing how much he has changed, I'm more than 90 percent reassured, Zhao said.
"But I can't be slack."
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China News from SinoDaily.com
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