Here’s a hidden secret to happiness: Being a loser is vastly underrated.

Sure, the word “loser” is often thrown around as an insult, a teasing offense meant to annoy. But maybe we haven’t considered the benefits of being a loser.

For example, some of the best humor comes from self-deprecation, with no show demonstrating this better than Everybody Loves Raymond. Star Ray Romano, himself a comedian who made the transition from stand-up to a sitcom, argued that being a loser was an essential part of his humor. “I need, especially as like a comic, to be recognized,” said Romano during an interview with the Associated Press. “But I also need to be a loser...To have both those things going on at the same time.”

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Romano also argued that the show’s reputation as an underdog in its early years helped to fuel the cast and crew to work harder. “We thought we were going to be canceled,” said Romano. “Then no one was watching, and then a couple of people were watching, and then more, and then we didn’t get nominated (for an Emmy), and then we got nominated and nobody won, and now we got nominated and one person won, but we still feel like we are fighting against not enough notoriety.”

Romano didn’t let the word “loser” serve as a put-down. He used it as motivation to work harder and show exactly why he deserved a seat at the table. It’s strange to say, but we can all only hope to lose as hard as such a talented and successful actor!