Settle for the silver medal in the Olympics. You will live longer and earn more

Here comes your exclusive weekend Demotivator Advice.

"Silver medalists live over two years longer than Gold medalists, on average." It's worthwhile to lose because in the end you will have a better job and earn more.

The winner takes it all, they say. If that includes his or her life, it is true.

Dying to Win? Olympic Gold Medals and Longevity

Abstract

This paper compares mortality between Gold and Silver medalists in Olympic Track and Field to study how achievement influences health. Contrary to conventional wisdom, winners die over one year earlier than losers. I find strong evidence of differences in earnings and occupational choices as a mechanism. Losers pursued higher-paying occupations than winners according to individual Census records. I find no evidence consistent with selection or risk-taking. How people respond to success or failure in pivotal life events may produce long-lasting consequences for health.

"Using individual Census records of each athlete and his family, I find empirical support for occupational choices and income earned after Olympic competition as a potential channel between status and health. Silver medalists pursued occupations that paid more money than those chosen by Gold medalists. Income, reported in the 1940 Census, is positively correlated with lifespan in the sample and fully accounts for the relationship between losing and mortality."

Your earnings potential as a loser increases!

"While both groups entered occupations that earned substantially more than the U.S. average, Silver medalists chose occupations that paid more than occupations chosen by Gold medalists. The large majority of Silver medalists were classified as Professional Workers and entered occupations, including physicians, with particularly high earnings. Gold medalists were more likely to be classified as Proprietors, Managers, and Officials. A common occupation among Gold medalists was athletic coach, which the Census classifies as a SemiProfessional Worker. In my sample, the average earnings of Silver medalists were 16 percent higher than Gold medalists based on differences in occupational choices."

One reason for earlier mortality could be tipple consumption. It did not say anything about sex.

"The Census records add key information about occupational choices, income, and marital status, but lifestyle factors are likely to matter as well. For example, decisions about smoking and alcohol consumption would be informative to study behavioral responses to winning and losing."

"Despite these limitations, this paper’s findings challenge conventional wisdom and the conclusions from existing studies that being awarded higher status necessarily improves health (Marmot et al. 1978, 1991; Sylvestre, Huszti and Hanley 2006; Becker, Chay and Swaminathan 2007; Rablen and Oswald 2008). Instead, losing can have positive, first-order effects on longevity. The most important trials in our lives often involve a binary outcome, like victory or defeat."