How competition drives our behavior, with Stephen Garcia, PhD

This episode of Speaking of Psychology features an interview with Dr. Stephen Garcia, who discusses the psychology of competition. Dr. Garcia defines competition through the lens of social comparison theory and explores factors influencing competitive behavior, such as the number of competitors, relationships between competitors (friends vs. strangers), and individual mindsets (growth vs. fixed). The conversation covers gender and cultural differences in competitiveness, the correlation between competitiveness and success, and potential downsides of being overly competitive. Dr. Garcia also shares advice for dealing with overly competitive individuals and touches on his current research regarding situational factors affecting the tolerance of inequality.