Too much competition can stifle the competitive spirit it seems.
People are more likely to put in a winning effort if they feel there is a reasonable chance of success, something that diminishes the more people there are striving to claim the top spot or first place.
Students taking standardized tests in more crowded venues got lower scores. Students asked to complete a short general-knowledge test as fast as possible to win a prize if they were in the fastest 20 percent completed it faster if they were told that they were competing against 10 people rather than 100. Students asked how fast they would run in a race for a $1,000 prize if they finished in the top 10 percent said they would run faster in a race against 50 people rather than 500.
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