← all facts
emotion
You suffer more when success is almost within reach.
The Medvec et al. (1995) study found that silver medalists are less satisfied than bronze medalists due to upward counterfactual thinking focused on the missed gold medal.
The study does not establish that finishing second feels worse than finishing last; rather, it highlights that bronze medalists feel relatively satisfied specifically because they avoided the fourth-place 'no medal' outcome.
You are mourning a future that never had a chance.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Medvec, 1995
- What the check found
- The study validates the role of counterfactual thinking in satisfaction, but the claim misrepresents the relative comparisons and exaggerates the psychological impact.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.