In high-risk situations, such as job interviews, exams, and sporting events, the pressure can ‘suffocate’ you. But once that sense of pressure is removed, these people will be able to perform at their best, says Jeri Tikare, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Kooth, a digital mental health and counseling platform. .
But what causes this phenomenon? And can it be avoided? This is according to research.
How does stress affect performance?
Poor performance when it matters most may be a well-known phenomenon, but only recently has the potential mechanism behind it become apparent.
Choking under pressure fight or flight reactionthis is the body’s way of defending itself from situations it sees as potentially threatening, Tikare told Live Science.
“This mechanism ensures survival to date,” he said. However, our brains sometimes have a hard time deciphering the difference between what is dangerous and detrimental to our survival and what is not. That means the reactions are the same as those that occur when faced with non-lethal challenges, such as speaking in public or engaging in sporting activities, Tikare said.
When the body goes into fight or flight mode, it rapidly increases the production of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. This increases your heart rate and raises your blood pressure.According to a 2023 study published in the journal psychology (opens in new tab)these cardiovascular factors may be predictors of poor performance in sports competition. We found that higher heart rates while aiming were significantly associated with lower performance scores.
Mental stress can lead to challenges in thinking clearly and concentrating as attention is focused on the perceived threat, Tikare said.
“When people experience a ‘brain freeze’ or ‘suffocation,’ they focus on the parts of the brain that respond to danger, thus limiting access to parts of the brain that help perform cognitive skills or tasks,” he said. say. He said. This idea is supported by neuroimaging studies, and a 2015 review published in the journal suggests that activity in brain regions involved in motivation and attention changes under the influence of stress. The Forefront of Behavioral Neuroscience (opens in new tab).
High pressure can take a person’s attention away from the task and from worrying about the consequences of failure, says the review. Furthermore, when there are high incentives and social pressures to succeed (for example, during a major sporting event), individuals may focus more on public image than on the task at hand, overstimulating the brain. The authors write that this can degrade performance. .
For this reason, according to a review published in 2007, the presence of others may be a major factor in suffocating under pressure. sports science journal (opens in new tab)A supportive audience can make performers excel, but the presence of others can also lead performers to unhelpful self-monitoring and excessive caution, said one reviewer. The author writes, This increased self-focus can effectively confuse them Ability to perform complex skills without much conscious thoughtas they trained.
Some said they may be more prone to suffocating under pressure than others. Sam Jahara (opens in new tab)psychotherapist at Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy, UK
This tendency to perform poorly under stress “may be related to experiencing more emotional, psychological, or physical threats and dangers in childhood because the brain is still developing.” “There are also specific triggers that stifle under pressure, such as a major event or failure in the past that has led to a loss of self-confidence.” It’s also possible that you’re not having enough resources for good because you’re experiencing the stress of , your performance just isn’t there.”
Can people avoid suffocation under pressure?
Performance under stress is a skill that can be improved through deliberate practice. Chris Hartley (opens in new tab)A sports and performance psychologist working at Insure4Sport and a lecturer in sports psychology at the University of Stirling, Scotland.People who have to work under extreme pressure, including top-level athletes, medical practitioners and military personnel. can do a better job by adopting certain practices and strategies, he said.
For example, they can analyze their past performances (good and bad) to identify the emotions, situations and consequences associated with each, he said. This way, people can identify which skills degrade the most in stressful situations and devote more time to those skills. Analyzing past performance can also identify practices that help people calm their nerves and set themselves up for success, he said.
If you panic during a performance, you can even simplify the task down to a “landing strip protocol”.
“In pressure situations, our brains get ‘tunnel vision,’ which allows us to focus on irrelevant things,” says Hartley. “In situations like this, lessons can be learned from the aviation industry where landing strips guide planes safely in the dark of night. Similarly, a simple procedural ‘landing zone’ protocol that can be followed at any time. can be created. Help me get back to the task at hand. ”
Another strategy, says Tikare, is to develop visualization techniques. By visualizing all parts of your performance upfront, he said, you can minimize the chances of “choking” when actually performing the task at hand.
