Is bronze better than silver at the Olympics? Why those who place third may be happier than runner-ups

Being an Olympian is hard work.

The men and women who participate in the Olympic Games spend years making sacrifices and honing their craft.

Even among the top athletes, only a select few realise their ultimate dream of bringing home a gold medal.

Shooter Manu Bhaker, for example, made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win the bronze medal in the 10 metre air pistol shooting category at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The 22-year-old’s effort has been lauded by many including Abhinav Bindra — India’s only shooting gold medallist.

Bindra on X wrote that Manu Bhaker’s relentless dedication, hard work, and passion have truly paid off.

Interstingly, there is research to suggest that those who come in third at the Olympics and net bronze medals are actually happier than the runner-ups who get silver medals?

So, what do we know about this phenomenon? And does bronze really trump silver for Olympic athletes?

Let’s take a closer look:

What happened?

As per The Conversation, two professors from the university of Minnesota and Iowa in 2021 conducted a study of 413 Olympic athletes during medal ceremonies.

Andrea Luangrath from the University of Iowa and William Hedgcock from the University of Minnesota examined pictures of 413 Olympic athletes taken during medal ceremonies between 2000 and 2016.

They used pictures of athletes from 67 nations from the Olympic World Library and Getty Images as well as Sports Illustrated’s Olympic finish predictions.

The researchers used AI to examine the faces of athletes – thereby eliminating the possibility of bias – including their mouths, eyes, eyebrows, and noses.

The AI found that the bronze medalists, in general, looked happier than those that had won silver.

This despite the fact that they performed worse than their counterparts.

This isn’t the only study to make such a claim.

As per _Time Magazin_e, a 1995 study by psychologists Victoria Medvec, SF Madey, and Thomas Gilovich also reached the same conclusion.

So, why does this happen?

Is bronze really better than silver?

For some it is.

Experts say this comes down to what is known as ‘counterfactual thinking.’

This is when people think about what didn’t happen but could have.

For example, those in second place think ‘I could have won gold.’

Meanwhile, those in third place think ‘at least I won bronze’ or alternatively that things could have been far worse, as per The Conversation.

Luangrath, one of the authors of the study, explained that the runners-up are engrossed in “upward comparison.”

Meanwhile, those in third place engage in “downward comparison.”

In short?

Runner-ups are focussed on about how they narrowly missed out on gold, while those in third place are simply happy to have something to show for their efforts.

“They’re just thinking, ‘I’m glad I’m on the podium at all,’” Luangrath told Axios.

‘That’s accurate’

“In my own personal experience I would say yes, that’s accurate,” Gary Hall, Jr, a 10-time Olympic medallist, told 12News.com.

“It’s a dream come true to stand on top of the Olympic podium, have the flag raised and the National Anthem play. That’s what it’s all about,” Hall added.

Hall also says there is a stark difference between how he remembers his bronze at the Sydney Games compared to the silver medal at the Atlanta Games.

“Let me put it this way: I can tell you how many one-hundredths of a second I got a silver medal by. I have no idea how much I got the bronze medal by,” Hall said.

“Those seven one-hundredths of a second that separated the silver from the gold, it needles at you.”

“It wasn’t just my perception - you’re expected to be the best if you’re representing the United States,” Hall said. “And silver is good, but it’s not the best. And so people, yeah - the reactions of others too - you feel it.”

The researchers said athletes aren’t alone. Even normal people engage in such thinking – and it can often eat away at them.

But that’s no reason to lose heart.

“There will always be someone who is faster, smarter, stronger, wealthier,” Luangrath told Axios.

“Just revel in the happiness of the moment — and maybe not so much the outcome,” she concluded.

However, the researchers did add one caveat to their findings.

“Smiles can be faked for the cameras. Other times, people smile when they feel awkward or uncomfortable,” The Conversation piece noted.

“So we can’t say with full certainty that there’s a direct connection between facial expressions and feelings. Nonetheless, these outward expressions of emotion retain communicative power and offer some insight into what athletes may be feeling.”

With inputs from agencies