“Euphoria” or “Only Teardrops”? Eurovision Song Contest performance, life satisfaction and suicide

Filippos T. Filippidis, Anthony A. Laverty

The popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Europe has been high for decades. We aimed to assess whether a country's performance in the ESC is associated with life satisfaction and suicide mortality in European countries. We analysed nationally representative Eurobarometer survey data on life satisfaction from 33 European countries (N = 162,773) and country-level standardised suicide mortality data for years 2009 to 2015. The associations of winning the Contest, performing terribly, and higher final ranking with life satisfaction and suicide rates were all assessed. Winning the ESC was not statistically significantly associated with increased life satisfaction or suicide rates, although every ten-place increase in final ranking was associated with an increase in life satisfaction (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02 to 1.05) and a decrease in suicide mortality rates (β = - 0.30; 95% CI: -0.59 to - 0.01). Terrible performance was associated with greater life satisfaction compared to not competing at all (aOR 1.13; 95%CI: 1.07 to 1.20). The good news for participating countries is that just competing at the ESC is associated with higher life satisfaction among the population. As improved performance is linked to Ooh Aah Just a Little Bit of improved life satisfaction, further research into how such international competitions may impact public health is needed.