With the Olympics winding down we remember and celebrate the winners—the gold and silver and (maybe) bronze medal winners. But, sadly, while we cheer winners, most of us don't know how to lose well. A recent NPR article takes a look at the negative effects of rooting for those who lose. For instance, the article notes, "The agony of defeat manifests in athletes' bodies as well—especially on their faces. Researchers have found that study participants only had to watch about four seconds of basketball or table tennis games to recognize—from the looks on the athletes' faces—who was winning and who was losing. The participants were also able to quickly surmise whether the game was close or a blowout."

Also, a 2013 study tracked the attitudes of high school students before and after big soccer matches against other countries. "When the German national team lost, the researchers found the high schoolers developed more negative views of people from the winning countries ... This study suggests that international sports competitions may not be a path to world harmony after all." And a U.S. based study noted that when an NFL team loses that team's fans tend to binge on foods loaded with saturated fats. "The theory: After a crushing defeat, a losing fan finds comfort in comfort food."

Possible Preaching Angle:

So it's great to win, but life often has more losses. May the power of Christ liberate us to rejoice and thrive whether we win or lose!

Source:

Jennifer Schmidt, Maggie Penman, Shankar Vedantam, “Losing Hurts (In Surprising Ways,” NPR (8-9-16); Furley & Schwiezer, “The Expression of Victory and Loss,” Redaktion Institute (2014)