The anatomy of competitiveness

A large empirical literature in behavioral economics investigates heterogeneity across individuals and groups in preferences for competition. In this study, we provide a more detailed view on competitiveness by differentiating between three motivations for entering competitions: enjoyment of competition, desire to win, and competition for personal development. We investigate which of these dimensions are picked up by traditional measures of competitiveness; how they predict individual and gender differences in career outcomes; how they predict wellbeing; and how they relate to other personality traits, skills, and preferences. We make a further contribution by showing that willingness to compete is distinct from – and predicts outcomes beyond – general willingness to seek challenges.