- Competition, it's a staple of human nature.
And we see it everywhere, in social circles, in schools,
in sports and even in literature.
But, why?
Why are humans so predisposed to being competitive?
And why are some a lot more than others?
Wecome to Facts in Five, the series that covers the coolest
and most interesting facts on a topic,
in five minutes or less.
Today we're covering competition.
A fundamental part of human nature, yet
also something that very few of us
have ever actually questioned, despite it being a part
of our everyday lives.
So get ready to learn a lot more about yourself
and that friend that is just so competitive.
Because this is Facts in Five all about Competition.
What is the reason Competition exists?
Competition has occurred naturally for millions of years
between simple organisms as a survival mechanism.
When organisms or animals had to fight for a resource
like food or space, their natural instincts kicked in
and a competition for that particular thing began.
But competition is defined as
the exact opposite of cooperation.
So how could it be that we still feel a drive,
a desire, to be better than the next guy?
Why is it that we revel in seeing others compete?
Why do we feel jealousy?
Well, that brings us to
why do we still engage in competition?
It is believed that competition is invoked
by a part of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex.
It's possible, that by that part of the brain remaining
active as we evolved, it continued to do its job
by keeping us alive, by keeping us competitive.
But we aren't in survival mode anymore.
Nobody is fighting each other in the streets
to see who gets the last lamb chop.
So because of that, it's logical that something else
would need to take the place
of the things that we needed for survival.
We simply started to look for other things to compete over.
Something that wasn't resource-based.
Maybe something more social.
Where can we see competition?
In more places than you might realize.
In fact, it exists in almost every aspect of society
because it exists in every one of us.
As a kid, you probably worked your butt off for a test
because you knew that if your grades were good enough
you'd get the reward from your parents
instead of your sibling.
In the office, you work long hours
for that promotion because you deserve that raise
way more than Sara.
Sara sucks, doesn't she?
Think about the next election.
How badly do you think they all want
to be president or prime minister?
Yeah, pretty bad.
We watch sports for entertainment
because it's two teams competing for the win.
And, believe it or not, it even exists in literature
where literary competitions have increasingly become
a means for aspiring writers to gain recognition.
Who is most competitive?
Today, we compete for more than just resources.
Wealth, prestige, and fame have become primary motivators
for many societies in today's world.
And while we all compete for these things to some degree,
some of us have a tendency
towards extreme unhealthy competition,
which is a trait called hyper-competitiveness.
We all know someone like this.
Those with this trait have highly aggressive
personality types and will try to win at all costs
as a means of maintaining their self-worth.
They can turn any activity into a competition
and will actually feel threatened
if they feel themselves losing.
Yes, some of ya'll need to relax.
I've seen these people.
It's just they get a little bit crazy.
When will competition end for us?
The truth is, perhaps never.
We may never lose that evolutionary trait
for competitiveness.
But, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
See, being competitive allows us to push ourselves
beyond what we previously thought we were capable of.
And in working hard and preparing for whatever
that competition is that life threw at us,
we often find ourselves in a place of self-discovery,
a place of growth, and overall betterment of ourselves.
And that is a good thing.
I want to give a big thanks to my friends at FanDuel
for inspiring the topic of today's video.
FanDuel is the leader in one-week fantasy football,
for real money, with immediate cash payouts
and no season-long commitment.
It's a lotta fun.
You can challenge your friends or others
on the site from anywhere.
Your iPhone app, your tablet, or your desktop.
Contests start at just a buck.
But you can play for as much as you want
and if you win, you win real money.
In fact, this coming year, FanDuel will be paying out
over 75 million dollars a week
in fantasy football winnings alone.
So if you're interested in a little friendly competition,
click the link in the description and use the Promo Code
which is good for a deposit match of up to $200.
I recently got to play around with it
and it's actually a lot of fun.
Give it a shot.
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Peace!