It's not whether you win or lose, it's whether you come in first or third.

Always wait for replication with greater controls but interesting. From The effects of competition outcomes on health: Evidence from the lifespans of U.S. Olympic medalists by Adriaan Kalwij. From the Absstract:

This paper investigates the effects of competition outcomes on health by using U.S. Olympic medalists' lifespans and medal colors as a natural experiment. Whereas the life expectancies of gold and bronze medalists do not differ significantly, life expectancy of silver medalists is about 2.4 and 3.9 years less than these former, respectively. These findings are readily explainable by insights from behavioral economics, psychology, and human biology, which suggest that (perceived) dissatisfactory competition outcomes may adversely affect health. Competition outcomes that affect socioeconomic status (SES) could, therefore, play an important causal role in the positive SES-health gradient among the general population.

Fascinating, if true, at several levels.

Not just in psychology but especially in economics. And would there be life expectancy differences if there were no competitive awards?