Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/184738 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. 1707
Publisher: 
Johannes Kepler University Linz, Christian Doppler Laboratory Aging, Health and the Labor Market, Linz
Abstract: 
We analyze the effect of self-confidence on performance using data from top-level professional biathlon competitions. Biathlon combines two independent tasks: cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. We exploit this dual nature of the sport by using weather conditions affecting performance on the skiing track as exogenous variation in confidence on the shooting range. Using round-level data on 254 competitions between 2009 and 2013, we show that the less confident athletes are, the worse their performance is on the shooting range. In particular, we estimate an increase of 0.525 standard deviations in missed shots for every standard deviation increase in our inverse self-confidence measure. Effects for women are estimated to be generally smaller in magnitude and less robust.
Subjects: 
Self-confidence
performance
biathlon
sports economics
JEL: 
J24
Z2
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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