Watch how someone loses a board game. It’s a free preview of how they’ll handle every letdown.

How somebody handles a small loss tells you how they will handle a real one. A game has no stakes, which is exactly what makes it revealing, since the behaviour has nothing to do with the situation and everything to do with the person. Blame, sulking, grace and humour all appear in miniature.

Pay attention next time you watch someone lose at something trivial. Notice whether they turn on the people around them. You are not looking for perfection, only for whether a setback makes them larger or smaller than usual.