boys, girls, and competition
a canadian study of 40 groups of girls and boys [ages 5-6] found that girls will only compete if there is something to gain, whereas boys will compete solely for the sake of competition. the study went something like this: the kids sat in a circle, and threaded beads on a stick until it was full, taking the beads from either a common pot or from each other. they played two ways: everybody wins, and one person wins. when everybody could win, the girls spent less time competing and more time watching their opponents, whereas boys played the same. their conclusion, as stated above, was that girls only compete when there is something to be gained, whereas boys will compete for the sake of competition.

my take: nice study, poor analysis. for boys, the sake of competition is that "something to be gained"; to know you're the best, regardless of what some outsider says [the outsider in this case being the rulemaker or gamerunner]. boys are about competition because it defines them. it tells them who they are. their winnings and losings give them benchmarks as to where they stand in life and in the circles of their peers. often, they'll jump at virtually any opportunity to test that. that's why so many sports are predominately played by men. that's why boys are addicted to video games. guys are always sharpening their blades. that's our job. to be the best in any area. often times, that leads to what would appear to be fruitless competition, but for the male gender, there's no such thing as fruitless competition. it all means something [granted, this isn't always the most prudent course to take, but it's still our nature].

as to the girls, i would say that, though they may be competitive in some [or even all] arenas, competition for it's own sake is not a primary instinct for them, because they do not feel the need to use it to test, sharpen, and re-assess their own personas like boys do. additionally, what this study tends to indicate about girls [if anything at all], is that they crave the visible, verbal, public approval of persons in authority [the gamerunners] much more than boys do. the recognition and admiration of persons to whom they are subject is of greater value to girls than the recognition and admiration of their peers, whereas with boys, it's the opposite.

please don't waste your time commenting by arguing with me on exceptions to the rule. Matt @ 10:54 AM