March Madness: Can Losing Lead to Winning?

Is your March Madness bracket filled out yet? Imagine you're watching a close game. As the teams head to the locker room at half time, only two points separate the two competitors. Which team do you think is more likely to win? The team down by one or the team up by one? If you're like most people, you said up by one. But you'd actually be better off going with the team that is losing. Teams down by one are more likely to win. And the reason tells us a lot about the effects of competition on motivation. Jonah Berger , an assistant professor of marketing at the Wharton School , has more than just March Madness.