The mental side of riichi mahjong from a pro in Japan: tilt, losing streaks, and how to keep a bad night from turning into a bad month.
From 4th you chase the mangan. From 1st you fold hands that can't hurt you. Kahneman and Tversky described both reflexes in 1979, and Tenhou's All Last numbers show where each one is right and where it costs you the game.
A deal-in is an act, so it hurts and you remember it. A fold is an omission, so it never registers. Here's what omission bias costs you against riichi, priced with Houou fold data, and a one-week log that makes it visible.
Every parlor in Japan will tell you mahjong keeps the brain young. One randomized trial in Hong Kong put that to the test on nursing-home residents with dementia. Here's what it found, what it didn't, and where Japan took the idea.
Japanese players call it nagare, the flow of luck between hands and players. Basketball researchers call it the hot hand and have argued about it since 1985. Here's what the data says about streaks in mahjong, and the one part of the feeling that's real.
You've lost three games in a row. Then four. The frustration builds, and suddenly you're playing worse than you did as a beginner. Here's the truth: most extended losing streaks are self-inflicted. Your brain, trying to protect your ego, sabotages your play. This post explains why that happens and how to break the cycle before it spirals.
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