The domino effect is a psychological phenomenon in which small changes to a person’s habits can have a cascade of positive effects. Often, the domino effect is related to a change in one person’s self-image or identity. In some cases, it can also cause a shift in societal behaviors as well.
Dominoes are flat rectangular tiles that can be made of wood, bone, or plastic. They have many different nicknames, including bones, cards, pieces, men, stones, spinners, or tickets.
A domino set usually contains 28 tiles, but some sets include a variety of numbers and shapes. Traditional Chinese dominoes, which represent each possible face of two thrown dice, are made of 32 pieces; European sets are usually 28 or fewer.
Gameplay
Players start the game by laying out all the dominoes face down and shuffle them. They then draw seven dominoes to fill their hand and begin playing from them. If there are no doubles, they play the highest domino. If there is a double, they may choose to play it or re-shuffle the deck and start over.
They may also choose to use their hand to draw more dominoes. This is called chipping out, and in some versions, both players must chip out to win.
The player who drew the highest domino then plays from that number, removing the last domino from the hand and adding it to their own. If he does not, the next player draws from the pool of dominoes remaining in his hand. The next player, if still unpaired, draws from the same pool of dominoes, and so on until all players have drawn a domino each.
Depending on the rules of the game, the first tile that is played may only be placed next to a single domino or it may be placed adjacent to all the dominoes in its chain. A single domino can be placed in any direction but a double must be placed cross-ways across the end of the chain.
Once all the dominoes in a row are played, the next person in turn must place another domino on top of it so that the two matching sides are directly opposite each other. They must also be positioned so that their matching ends are touching each other. This is the most fun part of the game!
In this way the domino chain grows at a snake-like rate. This shape is determined largely by the limitations of the surface on which the dominoes are played, but it can also be changed at the discretion of each player.
This is a great game to teach children about cause and effect. It teaches them about how their choices affect the environment and even society.
The Domino Effect is a fascinating lesson in the power of positive change. It is also a good analogy for the impact of a single habit on a person’s life.
In addition to the obvious physical aspects of dominoes falling, it has become a popular metaphor for a number of societal and personal changes. Whether it’s a diet, exercise regimen, or even how we spend our free time, the domino effect can be used to illustrate how small choices lead to big changes in behavior.