The Science of Olympic Rivalries: Do Adversaries Help or Hurt?

From the decade-long swimming rivalry between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, to figure skating's famous Nancy-Kerrigan-versus-Tonya-Harding contest, some Olympic matchups seem to be as much about contention between two personalities as they are about crowning a champion. At the Olympics, the stakes are higher, the audience is bigger and every contest is scrutinized down to the smallest detail. At first, a rivalry might seem like a good thing, capable of motivating both competitors to try even h