In this light, authenticity is a way of being that people should strive to achieve and maintain.
( 1997) found that feelings of authenticity promoted self-esteem and protected against depression and anxiety. In psychological terms, people who function in this way are said to be high in authenticity-a manner of being that is one of the strongest predictors of well-being (Wood et al. Well-being is typically enhanced when people feel they are genuine in their day-to-day functioning-when behavior is consistent with values and goals (Goldman and Kernis 2002 Wood et al. Implications of authenticity as a potential vulnerability factor for sports betting and other types of gambling are discussed. The interaction of feeling authentic when betting and gambling for purposes of enhancing positive emotions proved especially troublesome for problematic forms of play.
Moreover, such behavior and gambling outcomes were particularly high among people who were motivated to gamble for the purpose of enhancement. As predicted, people who felt authentic when gambling reported behavior associated with problem gambling (high frequency of betting) as well as problematic play (a big monetary loss and a big monetary win).
To test this possibility, we assessed gamblers ( N = 61) who were betting on the National Hockey League playoff games at a sports bar. In the current study, we tested the idea that authenticity might have a dark side among people engaged in an addictive or risky behavior (gambling). Engaging in activities that make people feel authentic or real is typically associated with a host of positive psychological and physiological outcomes (i.e., being authentic serves to increase well-being).