38. People are More Motivated to Compete When There are Fewer Competitors
Did you take standardized tests like the SAT and ACT to get into college? How many people were in the room when you took the test? What does it matter? Research by Stephen Garcia and Avishalom Tor (2009) shows that it may matter a lot. Garcia and Tor first compared SAT scores from locations that had many people in the room taking the test to scores from locations that had smaller numbers. They adjusted the scores to control for the educational budget in each region, as well as other factors. Students who took the SAT in a room with fewer people scored higher.
Garcia and Tor hypothesized that when there are only a few competitors, you (perhaps unconsciously) feel that you ...
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