Unexpected benefits of being second in the competition

According to a study by American scientists, the runner-up in sports competitions is not necessarily the loser, but the ones who benefit most from the health and quality of life later.

Victory is something everyone wants, but of course we can not always achieve it easily, especially in sports competitions in general and Olympic subjects in particular.

The finish in second place seems to be a failure for those who desire to reach the most glorious peak, but in fact, the second finish also brings significant benefits.

Those who win silver medals tend to live longer than those who have won gold medals for at least a year.

In a study by scientists at the University of Virginia, USA, they conducted an analysis and compared the lifespan between gold medals and silver medals in matches from the 1896 to 1948 Olympics.

The results were surprising when the team found that those who won the silver medal tended to live longer than the gold medalist for at least a year. The results show that, by the age of 80, about half of all silver medalists are still alive, and those who have won gold medals are only 1/3.

In research, Olympic gold and silver medalists have no difference in age, height or body. The biggest and most important difference is their income and career choices.

In other words, how people respond to success or failure in every important event of their life can have a long-term impact on health. Those who win silver medals seem to have a better life, earn more money, correlate with that life expectancy is also higher.

The Leive census data shows that those who return to the second are more likely to seek higher paid careers than the first.

Sometimes going to second place is not a sad ending for a professional athlete.

According to Quartz, about 70% of silver medal winners become people with money. This figure is only 20% of the gold medal winners. Leive also found similar results in people who were third or fourth.

It is worth mentioning that for decades before 1948, Olympic athletes were only amateur athletes. Then it wasn't until 1980 that professional athletes had the chance to participate in the Olympics. Up to now, winning a gold medal is no longer considered a way to finance finance but has become the goal, honor and pride of an athlete.

The exact reason why later Olympic athletes are paid higher is still a question without an answer. There is a theory that the winners or choose the risky lifestyle after coronation. They bear a small burden of keeping up their form and standing on top of the glory as long as possible.

Unfortunately, research has certain limitations. Leive has not been able to analyze whether there are cases where any gold medalist abuses alcohol or stimulants too much.

However, one thing that comes from this study is that events that occur in each person's life can affect their health and life in the long run. While people still talk happily, money cannot buy happiness but obviously, if there is money, the quality of life and life expectancy will be raised significantly.