Rivalry is everywhere. We see rivalries in sports, business, school, and basically any arena where there is competition. Whether it is rivalry between people (Bill Gates versus Steve Jobs; Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal), between organizations (e.g., Ford versus GM), or between nations (e.g., should U.S. soccer fans have rooted for rival Mexico in the World Cup?), there is something uniquely powerful about rivalry that differentiates it from others forms of competition and relationships.
Research: We Take More Risks When We Compete Against Rivals
A study of NFL data shows how having an archrival affects decision making.
July 17, 2018
Summary.
There is something uniquely powerful about rivalry that differentiates it from others forms of competition and relationships. Research has supported the idea that rivalry can motivate competitors to perform at higher levels, and that rivalry is sparked by experiences of similarity, repeated competition, and closely-decided contests. More recent work examines the effects of rivalry on decision-making and risk-taking. In two studies — the first looking at archival NFL data, and the second involving students in a lab — researchers found that rivalry predicted greater risk-taking among competitors. Their additional analyses suggest that rivalry increased risk-taking both by changing participants’ physiology and psychology.
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How to develop a winning strategy—and put it to work.