Have you ever told your brother that you’re tired, but you play one more fifa match after losing to smithereens 25 games to him after? I did. I had played better until then, but he had mastered his skills.
As a reader who might not be familiar with fifa, it is the most popular soccer simulator. I will say this most definitely affected my self-esteem. So how should I act and maintain it? The answer is self-handicapping.
It is hard to accept that your younger brother is something other than you are, so after losing the first game, one option is to say, “Well, I’m tired, but I will play with you one more.” If I lose, it’s not too bad; I was tired after all, but if I win, I win, and I also was tired, so this victory is more valuable.
But this, as any other excuse, is a positive illusion, and in the long run, it might do more harm than good. The only way to improve would be to put upward comparison on yourself. Or just ask your brother to teach you some tricks; it’s not lame.