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Jo SwinsonLib Dem MP for East Dunbartonshire |
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Be happy, Olympians. Aim low
August 11, 2008 4:42 PM
By Jo Swinson in Guardian.co.uk Comment is Free
By Jo Swinson in Guardian.co.uk Comment is Free
Our happiness often comes down to the comparisons we make. This is why it is sad that sections of the British media and, I'm sorry to say, politicians, ramp up expectations before major sporting events. Whilst it is great that there is enthusiasm for our medal prospects in Beijing and we will all be right behind our Olympic team, we should not seek to burden our athletes with excessive expectations.
We all remember Henmania, with all the hype and fervour that gripped the nation in the run up to Wimbledon for almost a decade. Despite Tim Henman becoming the first British player to make the semi-finals since the 1970s, his significant achievement was often cast as a failure in comparison to the prediction of ultimate victory.
We still haven't learned. Just this week, sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe has gone as far as to say that it is 'vital' for British athletes to bring home at least 41 medals. Given the target that has been set for the British team was 35 medals, we should be celebrating everything they achieve up to and beyond that, rather than moving the goalposts at the last minute.
Time after time, psychology has taught us that our happiness is dependent on our expectations. Research from the University of Colorado has shown that bronze medallists, who were often not expecting a medal, were judged happier than the silver medallists expecting the gold. Similar results occur in relation to exams: students who achieved a C, but expected a lower grade felt better than those who achieved a B, but expected a higher grade.
The Danes know a thing or two about happiness. The country has topped the Eurobarometer happiness league table since records began in 1975. The proportion of Danes who are 'very satisfied' with their lives has hovered between 60 and 70% for around the last 20 years - this compares with around just 30% for us in the UK.
So why is this? Well as the British Medical Journal noted in 2006, part of the reason appears to be the Danes' doggedly realistic approach to their lives. Despite brimming with happiness, Denmark ranks in the bottom half of nations in terms of the height of their expectations for the coming year. To reinforce the point, the nationalities that do have the highest expectations for the year to come, the Italians and the Greeks, come bottom of the European happiness table.
All this suggests that the minister's comments can only make it harder for our athletes to return from Beijing happy and fulfilled by their Olympic experience. By all means we should give our talented men and women our cheers of support, but there is a difference between wishing someone well and counting their medals before the opening ceremony even begins.
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