Imagine a digital display where three symbols must align. The first two click into place perfectly, but the third slows down, hovering just above the winning line before settling on a loss. Logically, this is a failure with no payout. Yet, the human brain rarely registers it as such. Instead of walking away, most feel a surge of energy and an urge to try again. This physiological reaction, the near-miss effect, is a neurological trick that transforms an objective loss into a subjective incentive to continue.
