I didn’t know about this connection between abusive partners and slot machines:
Never knowing the outcome makes it harder to stop pulling the lever.
Intermittent variable reinforcement is a defining feature of not only gam-
bling and addiction but also, tellingly, abusive relationships. Abusers veer
unpredictably between kindness and cruelty, punishing partners for
behaviors that they had previously rewarded with affection. This can lead
to something called traumatic bonding. The victimized partner finds her-
self compulsively seeking a positive response, like a gambler feeding a slot
machine, or a Facebook addict unable to log off from the platform - even
if, for many, it only makes them lonelier.
From The Chaos Machine. (The book, not the machine, that is.)