SECOND PLACE

 

Everyone loves the rewarding feeling of achieving a goal, but as it turns out, coming up short may not be such a bad alternative. In fact, it may even help you live longer. According to a University of Virginia study published in the Journal of Health Economics, Olympic silver medalists tend to live longer and earn more than gold medalists, which has prompted researchers to investigate why second-place athletes are prospering later in life.

The researchers compared the mortality between Gold and Silver medalists in Olympic Track and Field between 1896 and 1948, and ultimately found a resounding trend in the financial outcomes of the athletes observed. The study found that about half of silver medalists were alive at age 80, compared to only a third of gold medalists. But they also found that second-place athletes pursued higher-paying occupations after the Olympics, while first-place winners went onto lower-paying pursuits. Particularly, 70 percent of silver medalists saw greater financial outcomes, while only 20 percent of gold medalists did the same.

While the Olympians who came in first and second place were not very different from one another in terms of physical and neurological factors, the silver medalists became more successful after their Olympic careers, which could have contributed to their longer life spans. After the taxing efforts of winning a gold medal, athletes were not particularly motivated to find more success and to take care of themselves. 

The athletes’ financial outcomes may have affected their long-term health, but there are other impactful lifestyle choices that come from responding to a success or failure. Disentangling the relationship between achievement and health is challenging because several channels may operate simultaneously. How people respond to success or failure in pivotal life events may produce long-lasting consequences for health.

Whether in the workplace, a sports tournament or a music competition, finishing in second place could make you the real winner in the long run.

We tend to assume success in our careers would only help us later on in our life. In most cases, coming in first could actually hinder your trajectory after the win. And while we are still planning to aim high, the study’s findings serve as a reminder that if you do come in second, there is no need to be so hard on yourself. At the end of the day, what you do after your success or failure is more telling than the outcome itself. 

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