Why we choke under pressure -- and how to avoid it | Sian Leah Beilock

Summary

The speaker, a former soccer goalkeeper, shares personal experiences of 'choking' under pressure and delves into cognitive science to understand why people fail to perform at their best. They explore the concept of 'paralysis by analysis,' where overattention leads to mistakes, and offer strategies like practicing under real conditions and journaling to manage stress. The talk also addresses environmental factors, such as math anxiety, and how attitudes from parents and educators can impact performance. The speaker's journey from struggling student to successful science major illustrates the power of changing study habits and mindset.

Takeaways

• 😔 The feeling of 'choking' under pressure is a common and deeply personal experience that can affect performance in various areas of life.
• 🧐 The speaker's personal story as a soccer goalie illustrates the impact of external evaluation on performance and the onset of anxiety.
• 🤔 The cognitive science perspective is introduced to explore the mental aspects of performance and how to enhance it through psychological tools.
• 🏀 Athletes, despite their physical training, often neglect mental preparation, which can lead to underperformance during high-pressure situations.
• 🤯 The concept of 'paralysis by analysis' is introduced, explaining how overattention to details can hinder performance.
• 👣 The importance of practicing under conditions that mimic actual performance scenarios is emphasized for better preparedness.
• 🎤 Simple distractions like singing or focusing on less critical aspects can help alleviate overactive attention and reduce performance anxiety.
• 📝 Journaling thoughts and worries before a stressful event can clear the mind and improve focus during the performance.
• 👨‍👧‍👦 The environment, including parents, teachers, and coaches, significantly influences an individual's ability to perform under pressure.
• 🧮 Math anxiety is shown to be contagious and can be influenced by societal attitudes and behaviors, affecting both performance and interest in the subject.
• 🔄 Changing study habits and practicing under stress, as the speaker did in college, can lead to significant improvements in performance and overcoming self-imposed limits.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's personal story about being a goalkeeper?

The main theme is the experience of 'choking' under pressure, particularly the feeling of intense scrutiny and the impact it had on the speaker's performance and subsequent interest in cognitive science.

How did the speaker's high school soccer game experience influence their future career path?

The experience of choking during the high school soccer game led the speaker to pursue a career in cognitive science to understand how to overcome the mental barriers that prevent people from reaching their full potential.

What is the term used to describe the phenomenon where excessive focus on details hinders performance?

The term used is 'paralysis by analysis,' which refers to the negative impact of overattention on performance.

Why do people sometimes fail to perform up to their potential under pressure, according to the script?

People may fail under pressure because they worry excessively about the situation and its consequences, leading them to concentrate too much on aspects of their performance that should be left to autopilot.

What is the role of the prefrontal cortex in performance under pressure?

The prefrontal cortex, located at the front of the brain, is responsible for focusing attention. However, it can sometimes get 'hooked' on the wrong things, leading to overthinking and hindered performance.

How does the speaker suggest we can prevent the prefrontal cortex from focusing on the wrong things during performance?

The speaker suggests simple distractions like singing a song or focusing on a less significant body part, such as a pinky toe, can help redirect attention away from overthinking.

What is the importance of practicing under conditions similar to actual performance scenarios?

Practicing under conditions that mimic actual performance scenarios helps individuals get used to the pressure and expectations, which can improve their ability to perform well when it matters most.

How can writing down one's thoughts and worries before a stressful event help in performance?

Writing down thoughts and worries can 'download' them from the mind, making them less likely to pop up and distract during the performance, thus allowing for better focus and execution.

What is the impact of math anxiety on the brain, as mentioned in the script?

Math anxiety can activate areas of the brain associated with the neural pain response, creating a concrete, visceral sensation of discomfort or pain.

How does the environment, including parents and teachers, influence an individual's performance in math?

The environment can significantly affect math performance. Anxious attitudes towards math from parents, teachers, and societal norms can be contagious, leading to math anxiety in children and affecting their learning outcomes.

What change did the speaker make in their study habits that led to improved performance in college chemistry?

The speaker shifted from studying alone to studying with a group, practicing under stress, and competing for the right answer, which helped them learn to perform well under pressure.

Outlines

00:00

😟 The Pressure of Performance

This paragraph discusses the psychological impact of being under pressure during performance, particularly in sports. The narrator, a former soccer goalkeeper, shares a personal experience of choking during a high school game when the national coach was watching. The incident led to a deeper understanding of the mental aspect of performance and the realization that often, athletes focus too much on their performance under pressure, leading to mistakes. The paragraph also touches on the broader implications of this phenomenon in various life situations, such as taking tests or job interviews, and the narrator's subsequent interest in cognitive science to explore how to enhance mental performance.

05:03

🤔 Overattention and Paralysis by Analysis

The second paragraph delves into the concept of 'paralysis by analysis,' a phenomenon where excessive focus on the details of a task impairs performance. The narrator's research team conducted studies with soccer players, demonstrating that directing attention to specific aspects of their performance, like the side of the foot touching the ball, resulted in slower and more error-prone actions. The paragraph highlights the importance of not overthinking during high-pressure situations and suggests strategies like singing or focusing on trivial details to divert attention from the main task. It also emphasizes the value of practicing under conditions that mimic actual performance scenarios to build familiarity and reduce the likelihood of choking.

10:03

📚 Addressing Math Anxiety and Environmental Influences

This paragraph explores the origins of math anxiety, its contagious nature, and the impact of the environment on performance. The narrator's research indicates that math anxiety can be traced to the brain's neural pain response and is influenced by adults' attitudes towards math. The anxiety is shown to be more prevalent among girls, possibly due to the majority of elementary school teachers being women and societal stereotypes. The paragraph also discusses the negative effects of media and parental attitudes on children's math performance and suggests that engaging in fun math activities with children can improve their attitudes and performance. The narrator shares a personal story of overcoming the fear of a challenging chemistry course by changing study habits, which led to academic success.

15:04

🏆 Overcoming Limits for Success

In the concluding paragraph, the narrator emphasizes the importance of mental preparation and overcoming personal limits to achieve success. The paragraph highlights the significance of the brain's role in performance and how understanding this can help individuals prepare for high-pressure situations. The narrator shares a personal anecdote from a chemistry class, illustrating the power of changing study methods and practicing under stress to overcome initial academic struggles. The paragraph concludes with a message that our environment, including the classroom, parents, and media, plays a crucial role in whether we choke or thrive, and that by addressing these factors, we can foster success in various aspects of life.

Keywords

💡Choking

Choking refers to the phenomenon of failing to perform at one's best under pressure. In the video, the speaker describes a personal experience where the presence of a national coach caused her to underperform in a soccer game. This concept is central to the video's theme, as it explores why people sometimes perform poorly in high-stress situations.

💡Pressure

Pressure is the stress or urgency of matters demanding attention, which can affect performance. The speaker highlights how the presence of evaluative eyes, like those of a national coach or an audience, can cause individuals to become overly conscious and subsequently make mistakes. This is a key factor in the discussion about why people choke.

💡Overattention

Overattention is the act of focusing too much on specific details of a task, which can disrupt performance. The video explains that under pressure, people often concentrate excessively on their actions, leading to mistakes. The term is used to describe how athletes and others can overthink their actions, resulting in poorer performance.

💡Paralysis by analysis

Paralysis by analysis occurs when overthinking and excessive attention to detail hinder one's ability to perform tasks smoothly. The speaker's research demonstrates that focusing on specific movements, such as which part of the foot contacts the ball, can slow down and impair performance. This concept is essential in understanding why people choke.

💡Prefrontal cortex

The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain involved in complex behaviors, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. The video discusses how this brain region, which usually helps with positive focus, can become fixated on the wrong details under stress, leading to choking. Understanding its role helps explain the mental processes behind performance under pressure.

💡Practice under pressure

Practicing under pressure involves simulating the conditions of high-stress situations to improve performance. The speaker suggests that preparing for exams, talks, or sports events in conditions similar to the actual performance can help mitigate the effects of pressure. This practice helps individuals get accustomed to stress, reducing the likelihood of choking.

💡Math anxiety

Math anxiety is the fear or apprehension about performing mathematical tasks, which can trigger a neural pain response. The video mentions research showing that math anxiety can be contagious, affecting children when adults around them are anxious about math. This concept is used to illustrate how environmental factors influence performance.

💡Journaling

Journaling involves writing down thoughts and worries to manage stress and improve performance. The speaker references studies showing that jotting down concerns before a stressful event can help clear the mind and reduce distractions, aiding better performance. This technique is presented as a practical tool to combat choking.

💡Environmental influences

Environmental influences refer to the impact that surroundings, including parents, teachers, and media, have on an individual's performance. The video discusses how attitudes towards math, communicated through teachers or cultural messages, can affect students' math performance. Recognizing these influences is crucial for creating supportive environments that prevent choking.

💡Cognitive science

Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of the mind and its processes, including how people think, learn, and perform. The speaker's interest in understanding the mental aspects of performance led to her exploration of cognitive science. This field provides the framework for researching and developing strategies to help individuals perform better under pressure.

Highlights

The concept of 'choking' under pressure is a humiliating experience that can affect performance in various areas of life.

Being a goalkeeper in soccer involves high pressure due to the visibility of success and failure.

The presence of an evaluator, like a national coach, can drastically affect an athlete's performance.

The mental aspect of performance is often overlooked, despite its significant impact on physical performance.

Practice rarely occurs under the actual conditions of performance, leading to suboptimal results under pressure.

Worrying about performance can lead to overattention and 'paralysis by analysis,' hindering natural abilities.

Conscious control over automatic processes can result in mistakes, as demonstrated by the soccer dribbling study.

Professional athletes and dancers emphasize the importance of not overthinking during performance.

The prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role in focusing attention, which can sometimes fixate on the wrong details.

Simple distractions like singing or focusing on a less significant body part can help alleviate overactive attention.

Practicing under performance conditions can help acclimate to the pressure and improve performance.

Journaling thoughts and worries before a stressful event can reduce their impact during the performance.

The environment, including parents, teachers, and coaches, significantly influences an individual's ability to perform under pressure.

Math anxiety is a widespread issue that can be traced to social influences and has a tangible effect on the brain.

Math anxiety can be contagious, affecting children through the anxiety of adults around them.

Engaging in fun math activities with children can improve their attitudes and performance in math.

The speaker's personal experience with overcoming academic challenges highlights the power of changed study habits and mindset.

The brain's response to stress and the importance of mental preparation for success in various life domains.

Transcripts

One of the most humiliating things

that you can say about someone is "they choked."

And boy, do I know that feeling.

Growing up, I was an avid athlete.

My main sport was soccer, and I was a goalkeeper,

which is both the best and the worst position on the field.

You see, when you're a goalie, you get this special uniform,

you get all the glory for a great shot saved,

but you also get the grief when you land a shot in the goal.

When you're a goalie,

all eyes are on you,

and with that comes the pressure.

I distinctly remember one game in high school.

I was playing for the California state team

which is part of the Olympic Development Program.

I was having a great game ...

until I realized that the national coach was standing right behind me.

That's when everything changed.

In a matter of seconds,

I went from playing at the top to the bottom of my ability.

Just knowing that I was being evaluated changed my performance

and forever how I thought about the mental aspect of how we perform.

All of a sudden the ball seemed to go in slow motion,

and I was fixated on my every move.

The next shot that came I bobbled,

but thankfully it didn't land in the goal.

The shot after that,

I wasn't so lucky:

I tipped it right into the net.

My team lost;

the national coach walked away.

I choked under the pressure of those evaluative eyes on me.

Just about everyone does it from time to time --

there are so many opportunities,

whether it's taking a test,

giving a talk,

pitching to a client

or that special form of torture I like to call the job interview.

(Laughter)

But the question is why.

Why do we sometimes fail to perform up to our potential under pressure?

It's especially bewildering in the case of athletes

who spend so much time physically honing their craft.

But what about their minds?

Not as much.

This is true off the playing field as well.

Whether we're taking a test of giving a talk,

it's easy to feel like we're ready --

at the top of our game --

and then perform at our worst when it matters most.

It turns out that rarely do we practice

under the types of conditions we're actually going to perform under,

and as a result,

when all eyes are on us,

we sometimes flub our performance.

Of course, the question is, why is this the case?

And my experience on the playing field --

and in other important facets of my life --

really pushed me into the field of cognitive science.

I wanted to know how we could reach our limitless potential.

I wanted to understand how we could use our knowledge

of the mind and the brain

to come up with psychological tools that would help us perform at our best.

So why does it happen?

Why do we sometimes fail to perform up to what we're capable of

when the pressure is on?

It may not be so surprising to hear that in stressful situations, we worry.

We worry about the situation,

the consequences,

what others will think of us.

But what is surprising is that we often get in our own way

precisely because our worries prompt us to concentrate too much.

That's right --

we pay too much attention to what we're doing.

When we're concerned about performing our best,

we often try and control aspects of what we're doing

that are best left on autopilot,

outside conscious awareness,

and as a result,

we mess up.

Think about a situation where you're shuffling down the stairs.

What would happen if I asked you

to think about what you're doing with your knee

while you're doing that?

There's a good chance you'd fall on your face.

We as humans only have the ability to pay attention to so much at once,

which is why, by the way,

it's not a good idea to drive and talk on the cell phone.

And under pressure,

when we're concerned about performing at our best,

we can try and control aspects of what we're doing

that should be left outside conscious control.

The end result is that we mess up.

My research team and I have studied this phenomenon of overattention,

and we call it paralysis by analysis.

In one study, we asked college soccer players to dribble a soccer ball

and to pay attention to an aspect of their performance

that they would not otherwise attend to.

We asked them to pay attention

to what side of the foot was contacting the ball.

We showed that performance was slower and more error-prone

when we drew their attention to the step-by-step details

of what they were doing.

When the pressure is on,

we're often concerned with performing at our best,

and as a result we try and control what we're doing

to force the best performance.

The end result is that we actually screw up.

In basketball,

the term "unconscious" is used to describe a shooter who can't miss.

And San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan has said,

"When you have to stop and think, that's when you mess up."

In dance, the great choreographer, George Balanchine,

used to urge his dancers,

"Don't think, just do."

When the pressure's on,

when we want to put our best foot forward,

somewhat ironically,

we often try and control what we're doing in a way that leads to worse performance.

So what do we do?

Knowing that we have this overactive attention,

how do we ensure that we perform at our best?

A lot of it comes down to the prefrontal cortex,

that front part of our brain that sits over our eyes

and usually helps us focus in positive ways.

It often gets hooked on the wrong things.

So how do we unhook it?

Something as simple as singing a song,

or paying attention to one's pinky toe,

as pro golfer Jack Nicklaus was rumored to do,

can help us take our mind off those pesky details.

It's also true that practicing under conditions

that we're going to perform under --

closing the gap between training and competition

can help us get used to that feeling of all eyes on us.

This is true off the playing field as well.

Whether it's getting ready for an exam

or preparing for a big talk --

one that might have a little pressure associated with it --

(Laughter)

getting used to the types of situations you're going to perform under

really matters.

When you're taking a test, close the book,

practice retrieving the answer from memory under timed situations,

and when you're giving a talk,

practice in front of others.

And if you can't find anyone who will listen,

practice in front of a video camera or even a mirror.

The ability to get used to what it will feel like can make the difference

in whether we choke or thrive.

We've also figured out some ways to get rid of those pesky worries

and self-doubts that tend to creep up in the stressful situations.

Researchers have shown that simply jotting down your thoughts and worries

before a stressful event

can help to download them from mind --

make them less likely to pop up in the moment.

It's kind of like when you wake up in the middle of the night

and you're really worried about what you have to do the next day,

you're trying to think about everything you have to accomplish,

and you write it down and then you can go back to sleep.

Journaling, or getting those thoughts down on paper,

makes it less likely they'll pop up and distract you in the moment.

The end result is that you can perform your best when it matters most.

So up until now,

I've talked about what happens when we put limits on ourselves

and some tips we can use to help perform up to our potential.

But it's important to remember

that it's not just our own individual being

that can put limits and that can perform poorly;

our environment has an effect on whether we choke or thrive.

Our parents, our teachers, our coaches, our bosses all influence

whether or not we can put our best foot forward when it matters most.

Take math as an example.

That's right, I said it:

math.

Lots of people profess to choke or are anxious about doing math,

whether it's taking a test or even calculating the tip on a dinner bill

as our smart friends look on.

And it's quite socially acceptable

to talk about choking or performing poorly in math.

You don't hear highly educated people walking around talking about the fact

or bragging about the fact that they're not good readers,

but you hear people all the time bragging about how they're not math people.

And unfortunately,

in the US, this tends to be more so among girls and women

than boys and men.

My research team and I have tried to understand

where this fear of math comes from,

and we've actually peered inside the brains

using functional magnetic resonance imaging,

of people who are worried about math.

We've shown that math phobia correlates with a concrete visceral sensation

such as pain,

of which we have every right to feel anxious.

In fact, when people who are worried about math

are just getting ready to take a math test --

they're not even taking it, they're just getting ready --

areas of the brain known the be involved in our neural pain response are active.

When we say math is painful,

there's some truth to it for some people.

But where does this math anxiety come from?

It turns out that math anxiety is contagious.

When adults are worried about math,

the children around them start worrying, too.

As young as first grade,

when kids are in classrooms

with teachers who are anxious about their own math ability,

these kids learn less across the school year.

And it turns out that this is more prevalent in girls than boys.

At this young age,

kids tend to mimic same-sex adults,

and at least in the US,

over 90 percent of our elementary school teachers are women.

Of course, it's not just what happens in the classroom.

Social media plays a big role here, too.

It wasn't so long ago

that you could purchase a Teen Talk Barbie

that when the cord was pulled,

it would say things like,

"Will we ever have enough clothes?"

and "Math class is tough."

And just a few years ago,

major retailers were marketing T-shirts at our young girls

that read things like, "I'm too pretty to do math,"

or, "I'm too pretty to do my homework so my brother does it for me."

And let's not forget about the parents.

Oh, the parents.

It turns out that when parents are worried about their own math ability

and they help their kids a lot with math homework,

their kids learn less math across the school year.

As one parent put it,

"I judge my first grader's math homework

by whether it's a one-glass assignment or a three-glass night."

(Laughter)

When adults are anxious about their own math ability,

it rubs off on their kids

and it affects whether they choke or thrive.

But just as we can put limits on others,

we can take them off.

My research team and I have shown

that when we help parents do fun math activities with their kids --

rather than, say, just doing bedtime stories or bedtime reading,

they do bedtime math,

which are fun story problems to do with your kids at night,

not only do children's attitudes about math improve,

but their math performance across the school year improves as well.

Our environment matters.

From the classroom to parents to media,

and it can really make a difference in terms of whether we choke or thrive.

Fast-forward from my high school soccer game

to my freshman year in college.

I was in the chemistry sequence for science majors,

and boy did I not belong.

Even though I studied for my first midterm exam --

I thought I was ready to go --

I bombed it.

I literally got the worst grade in a class of 400 students.

I was convinced I wasn't going to be a science major,

that maybe I was dropping out of college altogether.

But then I changed how I studied.

Instead of studying alone,

I started studying with a group of friends

who at the end of the study session would close their book

and compete for the right answer.

We learned to practice under stress.

If you could've looked inside my brain during that first midterm exam,

you likely would've seen a neural pain response

a lot like the math-anxious individuals I study.

It was probably there during the stressful study situation as well.

But when I walked into the final,

my mind was quiet,

and I actually got one of the highest grades in the entire class.

It wasn't just about learning the material;

it was about learning how to overcome my limits when it mattered most.

What happens in our heads really matters,

and knowing this,

we can learn how to prepare ourselves and others for success,

not just on the playing field but in the boardroom

and in the classroom as well.

Thank you.

(Applause)