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Pastimes : Sochi Olympics 2014
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From: B.K.Myers2/22/2014 8:43:04 PM
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Silver Medal Face
The saddest-looking second-place finishers in Olympic history.



At the medal ceremony for Sochi’s women’s hockey tournament, the bronze-medal-winning Swiss accepted their prizes cheerfully and waved their bouquets. So did the triumphant Canadians, who had validated their nation’s status as hockey’s homeland by rallying from a 2–0 deficit to beat the United States. In the middle were the Americans. Some players were in tears as they gamely bowed their heads to accept their ribbons. No one smiled.


Welcome to the phenomenon of Silver Medal Face. Academic studies have foundthat silver medalists are less happy with their reward than the bronze medalists they’ve outperformed. Third-place finishers are thrilled to be on the podium. Silver medalists—particularly those who’ve just lost championship games—are still in the grip of self-recrimination and gold medal envy.

San Francisco State University psychology professor David Matsumoto and Bob Willingham of World of Judo magazine conducted a study of Silver Medal Face by examining photos of judo competitors at the 2004 Athens Games. They found that 13 of 14 gold medalists smiled at the end of their matches. So did 18 of 26 bronze medalists. The silver medalists were either blank-faced or rueful, and the ones “who displayed something displayed discrete, negative emotions.” On the medal stand, they were much more likely than other athletes to display forced smiles.


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