Reason alone is never a motive to action

Years ago when I first started playing chess...Two of us would always play on the same night at the same place every week. After a while many people started showing up until their were about 15 or so total. It took many weeks before one by one (some of them new eachother outside this) most came out about being recovering alchoholics and or growing up in abusive situations. Im not sure if this goes beyond correlation or the general psychology of this type of person and chess But it is certainly curious.

As Hume says "reason alone is never a motive to action." Sentiment leads our decision making from the start. So we play chess. Who would reason logically to do such a thing? Its an expression and an art form. A way for folks without control over their lives to exert control. A small short lived psychologically structured world in a physical world of chaos. Socially rejected? Lost control of your addictions? Chess. Im sure thats not the whole picture but perhaps its a few unnoticed brush strokes.