Why do some people bounce back after losing a competition, while others step away? A new experimental study explored how men and women react to winning and losing—and whether the gender of their opponent changes those reactions.

In a laboratory experiment, participants competed in a maths-based task and then decided whether they wanted to compete again against the same opponent. The researchers also examined how confident participants felt about their own performance and whether their expectations matched reality.

The study found a striking pattern among men. When men lost to a woman after expecting to win, they became significantly more likely to enter another competition—and they often performed better the second time around. By contrast, men who beat a woman became less interested in competing again. Women reacted differently: they were generally more willing to compete again after a win and less willing after a loss, regardless of whether their opponent was male or female.

The findings highlight how confidence, expectations, and gender dynamics shape competitive behaviour. Because promotions, hiring processes, and career advancement often involve repeated competition, understanding these reactions may help explain why men and women sometimes follow different career paths after setbacks or successes.

Mollier, C., García-Gallego, A., Jaber-Lopez, T., & Zaccagni, S. (2025). Gender of the opponent and reaction to competition outcomes. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 119, 102475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2025.102475