Study: Men Are More Competitive Than Women
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Study: Men Are More Competitive Than Women
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Study: Men Are More Competitive Than Women

Trending News: Do Men Just Have More Drive?

Why Is This Important?

Because this research could also be applied to the workplace.

Long Story Short

Men have long cared way too much about things just for the sake of competition (*cough* fantasy football), and now research proves that we’re just more likely to do so than our female counterparts.

Long Story

According to a recent study completed at Grand Valley State University and published in PeerJ, data shows that even among highly competitive college athletes, men have a slight edge on their female counterparts when it comes to overall competitiveness. The study included 1,147 runners that competed in the 5,000 meter race, an event that is popular among both sexes. While the study spanned runners from all three college-division levels, the results showed that men were driven by their desire for status and recognition, while women were much more team-oriented.

The findings are in line with previous research completed by Stanford University, which notes that a man’s performance receives a boost when the competition requires lining up next to a race rival. Meanwhile, women in the same situation are more likely to prioritize their teammates. While the research results remain pretty clear, there is still a lot of overlap in the findings — meaning that there are many female athletes who are more competitive than their male counterparts.  

The findings also have implications in the workplace. When responding to Medical Daily, researcher Robert Deaner points out that “even when men and women hold the same selective jobs, men are more likely to prioritize competing for recognition and status, while women have more communal orientations.”

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question: Have sports replaced academics as the top priority for college athletes?

Disrupt Your Feed: Guys are putting in work on the track, while gals are kick butt in the workplace.

Drop This Fact: Female athletes reported a greater commitment than men to their academic studies.