Winners Quit.

Essays | Samantha Choung | Mar 29th, 2022.

“Winners never quit, and quitters never win” is the mantra we’re all taught to live by. But is quitting really such a detrimental action? After 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in November, examining our mindset towards quitting has never been more important. We often look down on those who quit activities, jobs, or goals, forgetting that sometimes, opting out is the best option. However, as Amanda Ruggeri, editor of BBC Future explains, “when [done for] the right reasons, [quitting] can make [us] happier, healthier, and more successful.” 

Why We Fear Quitting

First, we fear sunk-cost. Hal Richard Arkers and Catherine Blumer, psychologists at the University of Ohio, describe the sunk cost fallacy as when “Individuals… continue endeavors as a result of previously invested resources [like] time, money, or effort.” The sunk cost fallacy explains that we don’t like quitting things that we have already invested in.

Second, as The New York Times explains, a quitter is viewed as “a loser or, even worse, a traitor-- someone who gives in when the going gets tough… [and] lets [their] team down.” This creates social pressure that often results in people feeling compelled to continue doing something, even if they don’t want to. 

The Effects of Not Quitting

Not quitting can cause significant health problems. This was demonstrated in a 2005 JAMA Internal Medicine study which found that women who were dissatisfied with their marriage were up to 6.2 times more likely than maritally satisfied women to have metabolic syndrome, putting them at an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Furthermore, a study published in the journal Psychological Science evaluated 90 teenagers and found that those who stuck with unattainable goals showed increased levels of inflammation and stress.

Failing to quit also impacts our communities. Professor David Wyld from Southeastern Louisiana University explains how quitting signals that we “have faith not just in our individual futures, but in our collective one as well.” According to a study performed by the National Academy of Sciences, our brains emit similar responses to seeing others suffer as they do when we suffer ourselves. 

How We Can Successfully Quit

In his book The Dip, Seth Godin describes how “strategic quitting is the secret of success” whereas “reactive quitting and serial quitting are the bane of those that strive to get what they want.” For example, a survey of Stanford alumni found that “respondents... who held five or more positions were nine times more likely to reach senior management [than those who held at most two positions].” Before quitting, Harvard Business Review advises us to “weigh the potential to continue learning against the costs,” and lack of foresight that are associated with sticking with it. 

We can overcome our fear of quitting by searching for different things to do after giving up on previous commitments. According to the New York Times, studies have found that people are happier if they find new goals to pursue after giving up on old ones.