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RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
What we know about how winning the EuroMillions changes your life
Analysis: winning money in the lottery has an effect on who we are, how we spend our money and what we want to do with our lives By Nattavudh Powdthavee, University of Warwick Most of us have dreamt about winning big in the lottery – I know I have. This dream recently came true for a ticket-holder in Ireland, who has just won the record €250 million EuroMillions jackpot. A sudden income of €250 million would no doubt be life-changing. But what do we actually know about the effects of lottery wins on our lives? Will being a jackpot winner make us happy now, or in the future? I've spent my career researching how our happiness and wellbeing can be affected by life changes, decisions and luck – including the lottery. Here's what I've learned about how winning the lottery can potentially change people's lives. From RTÉ Six One News, the Irish Lotto jackpot has reached €19 million Winning a moderate amount of money in the lottery has an effect on who we are, how we spend our money and what we want to do with our lives. In various studies, my colleagues and I have found that winning at least €500 in the National Lottery makes people significantly more right-wing and less egalitarian, more likely to switch to private health insurance and to become self-employed. Evidence on whether winning the lottery makes you happy is somewhat mixed. Using a British sample of over 16,000 lottery winners with an average win of several thousand pounds, economists Andrew Oswald and Jonathan Gardner, and later economists Benedicte Apouey and Andrew Clark, reported large and positive effects of wealth on winners' mental health appearing two years after the win. However, a more recent study of the Dutch Postcode Lottery focusing on a larger lottery win of a median US$22,500 (€19,325) albeit with a smaller sample size of winners to the British study (223 people) found little evidence that lottery wins affected people's happiness in a statistically significant way. Winning big Most of these previous studies have looked at the effects of winning several thousand dollars in the lottery – but what about the massive winners? Until recently, we did not have many observations of big lottery winners to conduct a meaningful study of the effects. People who win more than US$100,000 (€85,855) in the lottery do not typically feature in nationally representative household surveys as there are so few of them in any randomly selected household. This also means that any previous studies that tried to estimate the psychological impacts of large lottery wins would have too small a sample size to make any statistical findings conclusive. From RTÉ Radio 1's Ray D'Arcy Show, an interview with former Lotto jackpot winner Pat Broderick who won €7 million in 2011 In an attempt to settle this issue once and for all, three economists – Erik Lindqvist, Robert Östling, and David Cesarini – have conducted one of the largest studies to date of the long term effects of big lottery wins on psychological wellbeing. With an average win of US$106,000 (€85,877) and a sample size of more than 2,500 winners in the Swedish Lottery, they found big winners' overall life satisfaction to be significantly higher than that of small winners and non-winners with similar characteristics. This persists more than five years after the win. Life satisfaction is a measure of evaluative wellbeing – the overall evaluation of how one views one's life. This is distinct from experienced wellbeing – the positive emotions that we experience day-to-day. The Swedish study found little evidence that winning a large amount of money in the lottery had any significant impact on winners' happiness, which is a measure of experienced wellbeing. They also found winning big in the lottery does not substantially improve people's current mental health. From RTÉ Archives, Gerry Reynolds reports for RTÉ News on the introduction of a new National Lottery game in 1987. Includes Bertie Ahern, Charles Haughey, Gay Byrne and others saying how they would spend the money if they won the lottery This is consistent with a study by Nobel prize-winning economists Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, which showed that beyond a US$75,000 (€64,414) threshold, measures of evaluative wellbeing continue to rise with income whereas measures of experienced wellbeing, like happiness and mental health, do not. Furthermore, there was no evidence in the Swedish lottery study that a US$100,000 (€85,855) win significantly improved people's satisfaction with their health, relationship, housing, neighbourhood and society. The evidence from these studies suggests that winning the EuroMillions jackpot would significantly and sustainably improve the way we think about our finances and how our lives turn out in the long run, but it is less likely to make our day-to-day life feel more enjoyable. For most of us, our dreams of winning big in the lottery will never materialise. But just buying a ticket can give us a warm, thrilling feeling of anticipation while we wait for the lucky numbers to be drawn. Psychologists call this the "let me dream on" effect. That reason alone might be good enough for us to keep playing.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Why me? Unpacking the silent burden of survivor's guilt
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British-Indian businessman, was returning to London from Ahmedabad when the Air India flight AI171 crashed just minutes after takeoff. Of the 241 passengers and crew on board, he was the sole survivor. His brother Ajay, who was also on the flight, didn't make it. 'The plane broke, and my seat came off. That is how I was saved,' he told doctors at the Ahmedabad hospital where he's being treated. However, while speaking to his family over video call, Vishwash expressed disbelief: 'I don't know how I am alive.' For survivors of such traumatic events, the road to recovery is often as much mental as it is physical, with some of them struggling with psychological distress known as survivor's guilt. Survivor's guilt often follows tragedies like crashes, attacks, or disasters, leaving survivors asking, 'Why me?' or 'Could I have done more?' A 2021 study in the Electronic Journal of Social and Strategic Studies found that reactions to such incidents can vary based on factors like damage severity, proximity, incident cruelty, and coping skills. Neuro-psychologist Deeksha Parthsarthi at PSRI Hospital in Delhi explains, 'Survivor's guilt often appears as deep sadness, confusion, or a sense of unworthiness. Events replay in the mind, even when the situation was out of control. This is the brain's way of trying to make sense of a situation that feels too big and too painful. Blaming yourself feels easier than accepting the incident and the unpredictability of life. ' Stephen Joseph, a psychologist at the University of Warwick, studied survivors of the MS Herald of Free Enterprise disaster, where 193 of 459 passengers died in 1987. He found that 60 per cent of survivors felt survivor's guilt. He explained three types. First, guilt for staying alive while others died. Second, guilt for not helping enough, which caused people to relive the event again and again. Third, guilt for actions they took to survive, like climbing over others. These people often avoided thinking about what happened. Joseph's work shows how deeply survivor's guilt can affect people after a tragic event They may struggle with sleep, avoid loved ones, or lose interest in life. Survivor's guilt can be quiet — a person may avoid certain places, stay constantly busy, or feel shame after moments of joy. Personal relationships may get strained, causing feelings of unworthiness or excessive self-sacrifice. Milestones like birthdays may feel painful or undeserved, confusing loved ones. Emotional burdens may cause sleep issues, withdrawal, poor concentration, fatigue, or loss of appetite, and can lead to anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms may also include helplessness, numbness, intense fear, irritability, low motivation, and suicidal thoughts. - Inputs by neuro-psychologist Deeksha Parthsarthi It might be a challenge to comfort someone experiencing survivor's guilt. Well-intentioned phrases like 'at least you're alive' or 'you should be grateful' may feel hurtful, while telling someone to 'be strong' or 'move on' may deepen their isolation. What truly helps is simple presence — sitting quietly, listening without judgment, and offering gentle reassurance like, 'It's okay to feel this way' or 'You are not alone.' Therapy and support groups can play a vital role in healing. Group settings remind survivors they're not alone, while one-on-one therapy provides a safe space to explore deeper emotions. Daily habits such as journaling, walking, deep breathing, or engaging in creative activities like painting or music can make a difference. Prioritising good sleep, eating well, and connecting with kind people can also matter more than we often realise. - Inputs by Dr Sneha Sharma, psychiatrist and co-founder, Anvaya Healthcare After the fatal 2021 shooting on the set of his film Rust that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Alec Baldwin shared on a TLC reality show that he had experienced suicidal ideation. His wife, Hilaria Baldwin, added, 'He has survivor's guilt… He goes back to that day; he wishes it were him. He would change places [with Hutchins] in a second.' Actor Nina Dobrev revealed on Instagram that after narrowly escaping the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, she felt survivor's guilt. 'I have been absolutely sick to my stomach with all the destruction and devastation that these fires have caused… I have been feeling survivor's guilt,' she had said. Gura Pallay, a survivor of the 2023 Odisha train crash that killed 275, told reporters from his hospital bed that he was 'haunted' by what he had seen. Thrown from the train during the collision, he said, 'I never imagined something like this could happen.' Despite injuries, his deepest pain comes from surviving when so many didn't.
Yomiuri Shimbun
11-06-2025
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Scientists Puzzled by Discovery of Giant Planet Orbiting Tiny Star
University of Warwick / Mark Garlick / Handout via Reuters A newly discovered giant planet named TOI-6894, top right, is seen orbiting a red dwarf star in this artist's impression released on June 4. WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Astronomers have spotted a cosmic mismatch that has left them perplexed — a really big planet orbiting a really small star. The discovery defies current understanding of how planets form. The star is only about a fifth the mass of the sun. Stars this size should host small planets akin to Earth and Mars under the leading theories on planetary formation. But the one detected in orbit around this star is much larger — in fact, as big as Saturn, the second largest planet in our solar system. The star, named TOI-6894, is located roughly 240 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. It is the smallest-known star to host a large planet, about 40% smaller than the two previous record holders. 'The question of how such a small star can host such a large planet is one that this discovery raises — and we are yet to answer,' said astronomer Edward Bryant of the University of Warwick in England, lead author of the study published on June 4 in the journal Nature Astronomy. Planets beyond our solar system are called exoplanets. The one orbiting TOI-6894 is a gas giant, like Saturn and Jupiter in our solar system, rather than a rocky planet like Earth. The birth of a planetary system begins with a large cloud of gas and dust — called a molecular cloud — that collapses under its own gravity to form a central star. Leftover material spinning around the star in what is called a protoplanetary disk forms planets. Smaller clouds yield smaller stars, and smaller disks contain less material to form planets. 'In small clouds of dust and gas, it's hard to build a giant planet,' said exoplanet scientist and study coauthor Vincent Van Eylen of University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory. 'This is because to build a giant planet, you need to quickly build a large planet core and then quickly accrete [accumulate] a lot of gas on top of that core. But there's only so much time to do it before the star starts shining and the disk rapidly disappears. In small stars, we think there's simply not enough mass available to build a giant planet quickly enough before the disk disappears,' Van Eylen added. No known planet is larger than its host star, and that is the case here as well, though the two are much closer in size than usual. While the sun's diameter is 10 times larger than our solar system's largest planet Jupiter, TOI-6894's diameter is just 2.5 times greater than its only known planet. The star is a red dwarf, the smallest type of regular star and the most common kind found in the Milky Way galaxy. 'Given these stars are very common, there may be many more giant planets in the galaxy than we thought,' Bryant said. The star is about 21% the mass of the sun and much dimmer. In fact, the sun is about 250 times more luminous than TOI-6894. 'These findings suggest that even the smallest stars in the universe can in some cases form very large planets. That forces us to rethink some of our planet formation models,' Van Eylen said. The planet is located about 40 times closer to its star than Earth is to the sun, completing an orbit in approximately three days. Its proximity to the star means the planet's surface is quite hot, though not as hot as gas giants called 'hot Jupiters' detected orbiting similarly close to bigger stars. Its diameter is slightly larger than Saturn and a bit smaller than Jupiter, though it is less dense than them. Its mass is 56% that of Saturn and 17% that of Jupiter. The main data used in studying the planet came from NASA's orbiting Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, and the European Southern Observatory's Chile-based Very Large Telescope, or VLT. The researchers hope to better understand the planet's composition with observations planned over the next year using the James Webb Space Telescope. 'We expect it to have a massive core surrounded by a gaseous envelope made up of predominantly hydrogen and helium gas,' Bryant said.
Economic Times
07-06-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
What's TOI-6894b that just showed up around a dwarf star only 2.5 times its size; here's why that's weird
Reuters An artist's impression of a newly discovered giant planet named TOI-6894 b (top right) orbiting a red dwarf star (center) about 20% the mass of the sun, the image was released on June 4, 2025. University of Warwick/Mark Garlick/Handout via REUTERS NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY Astronomers have made a discovery that challenges long-standing beliefs about how planets form. A gas giant planet, roughly the size of Saturn, has been found orbiting an unusually small red dwarf star. This rare pairing defies current models, which say small stars don't have enough material in their surrounding disks to form such large planets. Named TOI-6894b, the planet was found about 241 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. TOI-6894b is about 1.07 times the diameter of Saturn but has just over half its mass. This makes the planet very low in density, similar to that of a beach ball. Despite its large size, the planet orbits extremely close to its host star, completing a full revolution in just under three Earth days. Also Read: Sun will die in 5 billion years but life could survive on Jupiter's moon Europa; here's how The star it orbits, TOI-6894, is a red dwarf with only about 21% the mass of the Sun and roughly 250 times dimmer. In terms of physical size, the star is just 2.5 times wider than the planet itself, a remarkable size ratio rarely seen in planetary systems. The formation of such a large planet around such a small star has puzzled astronomers. According to the well-accepted 'core accretion' model, large planets are thought to grow from small rocky cores that gradually gather gas from the star's surrounding protoplanetary disk. But small, dim stars like red dwarfs are believed to have disks too thin and short-lived to form massive planets before the gas disappears. Dr. Teruyuki Hirano, the lead researcher from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan, noted that this planetary system 'is completely inconsistent with what we thought we knew.' He said the discovery 'forces us to question our assumptions about planet formation.' The planet was first flagged by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which detects periodic dips in starlight caused by planets passing in front of their stars. Follow-up observations using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) confirmed the planet's mass and orbit. Also Read: Rare superorganism 'wormnadoes' caught on camera for the first time; what is it exactly? More data will be needed to determine how TOI-6894b formed. Future observations by the James Webb Space Telescope could reveal more about its atmosphere and structure, including how much of it is made up of hydrogen and helium and whether it has a large core. Red dwarfs are the most common type of star in the Milky Way, making up about 75% of the stellar population. They're also seen as good candidates for hosting habitable planets due to their long lifespans. Discoveries like TOI-6894b suggest there's still much to learn about the diversity of planetary systems these stars may this is not the first time a massive planet has been found orbiting a small star, it is one of the most extreme examples yet.
NDTV
06-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Discovery Of Small Star Giving Birth To Huge Planet Leaves Scientists Puzzled
Astronomers were left stunned after they found a giant planet, about the same size as Saturn, orbiting a really small red dwarf star, a study published in Nature Astronomy revealed. The star, named TOI-6894, is only about a fifth the mass of the Sun. The observation is quite intriguing, as notable planet formation theories suggest that it shouldn't have happened, as small stars should host small planets similar to Earth and Mars, not big ones. Astronomers believe that small stars are not expected to have suitable conditions for planet formation. TOI-6894 is roughly 240 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. It is the smallest-known star to host a large planet. Meanwhile, the planet, called TOI-6894b, is a gas giant, like the Milky Way has Saturn and Jupiter. The planet is completing an orbit in approximately three days, as it is about 40 times closer to its star as compared to Earth is to the Sun. Its location suggests that TOI-6894b's surface must be hot. In size, it is bigger than Saturn but slightly smaller than Jupiter. In mass, it is 56% that of Saturn and 17% that of Jupiter. "I was very excited by this discovery. I originally searched through TESS observations of more than 91,000 low-mass red-dwarf stars looking for giant planets," says astrophysicist Edward Bryant of the University of Warwick in the UK, who led the international research team. "Then, using observations taken with one of the world's largest telescopes, ESO's VLT, I discovered TOI-6894b, a giant planet transiting the lowest mass star known to date to host such a planet. We did not expect planets like TOI-6894b to be able to form around stars this low-mass. This discovery will be a cornerstone for understanding the extremes of giant planet formation," Bryant said. Bryant added, "The question of how such a small star can host such a large planet is one that this discovery raises - and we are yet to answer." The star and planet system was discovered during an investigation of NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) and the European Southern Observatory's Chile-based Very Large Telescope (VLT). "In small clouds of dust and gas, it's hard to build a giant planet," said exoplanet scientist and study co-author Vincent Van Eylen of University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory. "This is because to build a giant planet, you need to quickly build a large planet core and then quickly accrete (accumulate) a lot of gas on top of that core. But there's only so much time to do it before the star starts shining and the disk rapidly disappears. In small stars, we think there's simply not enough mass available to build a giant planet quickly enough before the disk disappears," Van Eylen added. How are planets formed? The formation process starts with the Giant Molecular Cloud, in which a giant cloud of gas and dust collapses under its own gravity. After that, the centre of the cloud becomes a protostar, which eventually becomes a star. Then a disk of gas and dust forms around the protostar. The small particles in the disk stick together, growing into larger bodies called planetesimals. Then the collision and merger of Planetesimals happen, forming larger planetary embryos. The embryos undergo differentiation, where heavier elements sink to the centre.
