When competition takes over | Lorena Santos | TEDxEscola Concept Ribeirão Preto

Lorena dos Santos, a Grade 6 student at Escola Concept Ribeirão Preto, talks about the culture of competitiveness and the risks people take for unnecessary rivalries. She describes breaking a bone while playing a game at a birthday party, driven only by the wish to be the fastest. She shares a school survey in which 88 of 157 respondents admitted to having put themselves at risk for competition. The talk cites the American Psychological Association and the World Health Organization on how dopamine makes winning feel rewarding enough that people ignore danger.

• Personal account of a bone fracture suffered during a birthday party game
• School survey: 88 of 157 respondents admitted to risking themselves for competition
• Dopamine and the reward of winning, with references to APA and WHO
• Distinguishing worthwhile risks from futile competition

In this TEDx presentation, Lorena dos Santos reflects on the culture of competitiveness and the dangers of putting oneself at risk for unnecessary rivalries. The speaker shares her personal experience of suffering a bone fracture while playing a game at a birthday party, driven solely by the desire to be the fastest. She reveals how the pain and frustration of the accident led her to question the reasons behind her behavior, presenting the results of a survey she conducted at her school in which 88 out of 157 respondents admitted to having put themselves at risk for competition, as well as referencing the American Psychological Association and the World Health Organization to explain how the brain's release of dopamine makes winning feel so rewarding that we ignore danger. Lorena invites the audience to consider which risks are truly worth taking, distinguishing meaningful challenges from futile competitions that bring no real benefits. By using her own presentation on the TEDx stage as an example of a worthwhile risk, the speaker concludes with a powerful message: life is not a competition, and the essential thing is knowing how to choose what truly matters. Grade 6 student at Escola Concept Ribeirão Preto This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx