How you can get the most enjoyment from playing the lottery

You can't get much happier than with one million dollars from the New York Lottery.

In a world of instant gratification, where food is fast and the internet makes all knowledge instantly available, there's one way you can get the most amount of fun out of playing lotto.

And strangely enough, the secret is NOT being instant.

The lottery is different from many other forms of activity that require you to pay at the time.

Going to the cinema, watching a game, even hiring a video online... it all involves paying upfront.

But Harvard researcher Michael Norton has found that if you can prepay your experience, it will make you happier.

Like getting away for a break: "There’s a funny thing about vacations: we often experience one of the biggest increases in happiness in the weeks before the vacation begins," he said.

And he figures that looking forward to it in the time up to the vacation makes us happier.

IT’S ABOUT THE DREAMING

"Anticipation is a huge and often untapped source of happiness."

It's the same with your game.

When you play the lottery you can get the same feelings of joy by prepaying.

There's another benefit...

Buy your tickets early, and by the time the game comes round you will actually feel free—because the pain of paying is so far in the past, you can truly enjoy the draw.

Norton says paying upfront also increases the likelihood that we will spend the time before the event daydreaming about it.

Of course, the happiest time is winning, as Will tells us:

Ken,

I was a non believer until i looked through all your material, it took weeks you have written a lot! Anyway, I think i have found out how it works so I bought some tickets last week and it got me $37,000!!!! Thats not much according to some of youre winners, but to me its a years work and very welcome too.

Will.