CARLOS Alcaraz lost in the second round of the US Open last Friday. The Spanish tennis star has now been defeated in two of the last three matches. The culprit of his mini-collapse: He lost to Novak Djokovic in the Paris Olympics final and “only” won silver.
Which led me to ask: Is bronze better than silver?
“Winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games brings glory, but a bronze makes people happier,” wrote Stefan Klein in “The Science of Happiness: How Our Brains Make Us Happy and What We Can Do to Get Happier.”
“While the runners-up imagine themselves on the top step and are upset, having missed their goal by a few tenths of a second, the bronze medal winners feel terrific..” said Klein. “Those in third place were happy that they won a medal at all and made it into the record books, whereas the silver winners were mainly aware of what they’d just missed.”
Back in 1995, a study by psychologists Victoria Medvec and Thomas Gilovich was conducted. They asked their students to review video footages of athletes who joined the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. From a score of 1-to-10 (“1” being “agony” and “10” being “ecstatic”), the students ranked the happiness level that they perceived the winning athletes scored. The result: Those who won silver scored 4.8, while those who got bronze scored 7.1.
Based on psychology, the term is called “counterfactual thinking.” It means that people compare their achievements to “what might have been.” A silver medalist thinks… “Sayang!” I missed being No. 1. A bronze medalist realizes.. “Salamat!” I won a medal!
This is called the upward and downward comparison. Silver medalists compare themselves to the champion, feeling disappointment about narrowly missing out. Bronze medalists, however, compare themselves to those who didn’t medal at all, leading to a sense of satisfaction.
We saw this during the 100-meter race in Paris. After crossing the finish line, the times that appeared on the board — 9.79 seconds — were the same for Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson. Moments later, Lyles was declared the Olympic gold medalist. Fred Kerley, the third placer, looked happy, too. The saddest person: Thompson.
“So we have the paradox of a man shamed to death because he is only the second pugilist or the second oarsman in the world,” wrote William James in 1892. “That he is able to beat the whole population of the globe minus one is nothing; he has ‘pitted’ himself to beat that one; and as long as he doesn’t do that nothing else counts.”
This is sad, funny but often true. So what’s the lesson for us non-Olympians?
1. Don’t compare: Constantly comparing ourselves to others can lead to feelings of inadequacy. It’s important that we focus on our own progress rather than trying to keep up with others. Social media is often to blame for this.
2. Set realistic expectations: Setting unrealistic expectations can lead to frustration. By setting achievable goals, we can increase our chances of success.
3. Practice gratitude: Let’s focus on what we have achieved and not what we missed. By appreciating what we have, we reduce feelings of envy. One must be thankful for “winning Silver” instead of being the “First Loser.”