Does competing against other people motivate you to try your hardest? Or does it feel more intimidating than anything else? Being competitive helps some people thrive while others perform better in more relaxed environments.

Scientific evidence suggests that there’s some connection between competitiveness and genetics. AncestryDNA^® + Traits can help you learn whether there's more or less genetic influence on your competitive behaviour.

What Does It Mean to Be Competitive?

Competitiveness occurs when you compare your performance to someone else's. For example, people might compare how much money they make to others in order to determine who is more successful. When you're competitive, you have a high desire to exceed the performances of those around you.

Competitive behaviour can appear in just about any situation—on the sport field, in the workplace, and even during a family board game. For example, runners at an athletics event compete for the fastest times, while football players aim for most goals. Two salespeople at the same company might vie for the biggest sale. And a friendly game of Scrabble^® or Monopoly^® can be all about getting the highest score or owning the most hotels on Park Lane.

Competitive personalities can also be important in various aspects of life. They can prompt you to seek a work promotion or to apply for a job that you don't quite qualify for. Some studies suggest that a competitive attitude actually boosts performance at work. A competitive personality may also motivate you to improve a particular athletic skill in order to level up your game.

Not all people are equally competitive. Some shy away from it entirely, while others may seek competition everywhere they look.

Highly competitive people turn just about anything into a competition. For children, this may be a competition to see who can stuff the most marshmallows in their mouths. Others in a friend group might see who can be the first to visit every British county. If it's an activity that involves comparison, it's an activity that can be turned into a competition.

The Genetics Behind Competitiveness

Ancestry^® scientists compared the DNA of over 227,000 people who rated themselves based on how competitive they thought they were. The scientists discovered more than 485 DNA markers related to competitiveness. They used these markers to calculate a polygenic risk score, a tool for determining how competitive you are just from your DNA information.

However, they also found that genetics could only play a small role in the large variation in people’s competitive natures. Non-genetic factors, like people’s environment and life experiences, played a much larger role in how competitive people viewed themselves.

What Else Do Scientists Say About Competitiveness?

To some degree, testosterone can influence status-seeking behaviours, such as competitiveness. One study tested 88 healthy men between the ages of 18 and 40 years of age. A portion of the participants were given testosterone gel to artificially raise their testosterone levels and then directed to compete.

The competition involved making wagers and playing a game. While the participants believed they could influence the game, they had zero control over the results of each level. Participants were told they could quit the game at any time they chose and walk away with their winnings. Over time, the game went less and less in their favour in order to measure how long each person would continue to participate. Those with lower levels of cortisol and higher levels of testosterone in their systems tended to be the most persistent in the competition, even when the odds were stacked against them.

Interesting Facts About Competitive Behaviour

Birth order appears to have some effect on competitive behaviour. Middle-born children tend to be more competitive than the oldest and youngest siblings. This could be because they think they need to compete to get the same degree of attention that their youngest sibling gets while also trying to keep up with their older sibling.

While a certain degree of competitiveness can be useful, hypercompetitiveness can be detrimental. Hypercompetitiveness is defined as needing to compete and win while doing anything possible to avoid losing. Often, hypercompetitive people focus more on external factors to validate themselves rather than seeking internal motivation.

But whether you’re more or less likely to be competitive—genetically or through learned behaviour—researchers have found that communities on the sport field or in the boardroom can benefit from having a balance of people with different levels of competitiveness. A blend of competition and cooperation can be the key to success.

If you're curious about how your genetics may influence different traits, taking an AncestryDNA^® + Traits test can shed some light on this topic. If you've already taken a test, your results about whether you have genetic markers for dozens of different behavioural and personality traits, among others, are ready to view with an Ancestry^® membership.

 

References

Cherry, Kendra. "How Does Birth Order Shape Your Personality?" Verywell Mind. January 22, 2024. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-does-birth-order-shape-your-personality-8431968.

"Group Dynamics of Cooperation and Competition: A Sports Psychology Coaching Approach." NESTA/Spencer Institute. December 15, 2022. https://www.nestacertified.com/group-dynamics-of-cooperation-and-competition-a-sports-psychology-coaching-approach/.

Kutlikova, Hana H., Shawn N. Geniole, et al. Not giving up: Testosterone promotes persistence against a stronger opponent. ScienceDirect. April 6, 2021. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453021000883.

Mildawani, M. M. Tri Susetyaning, Tri Ratna Murti, et al. "A psychological model of competitive behavior: social comparison as a mediator of the critical thinking, self-efficacy, and adaptation ability prediction among college students." Heliyon. December 10, 2022, doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12205.

"The Psychology Behind Competitiveness." Eastern Oregon University. Accessed May 28, 2024. https://online.eou.edu/resources/article/psychology-of-competitiveness/.

Wang, Haifeng, et al. "Employee Competitive Attitude and Competitive Behavior Promote Job-Crafting and Performance: A Two-Component Dynamic Model." Frontiers in Psychology. November 21, 2018. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02223.