Medalhistas de prata são mais infelizes do que ganhadores do bronze

Sabe aquele argumento que ganhar prata é pior do que bronze? Então, a boa notícia é que existe um estudo científico que confirma essa percepção.

Research on counterfactual thinking has shown that people’s emotional responses to events are influenced by their thoughts about “what might have been.” The authors extend these findings by documenting a familiar occasion in which those who are objectively better off nonetheless feel worse. In particular, an analysis of the emotional reactions of bronze and silver medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics—both at the conclusion of their events and on the medal stand—indicates that bronze medalists tend to be happier than silver medalists. The authors attribute these results to the fact that the most compelling counterfactual alternative for the silver medalist is winning the gold, whereas for the bronze medalist it is finishing without a medal (fonte).

Ou seja, para o ganhador da prata, a alternativa mais óbvia seria ganhar o ouro. Portanto seu resultado seria negativo. Já para o medalhista de bronze, sua alternativa seria nenhuma medalha. Assim ele fica mais feliz.

Com info daqui.