You 2.0: Overcoming Stage Fright
The pressure. The expectations. The anxiety. If there’s one thing that many of us have in common, it’s the stress that can come from performing in front of others. In this week’s episode, we revisit our 2021 conversation with cognitive scientist Sian Beilock about why so many of us crumble under pressure — and what we can do about it.
- Duration
- 1h 4m
- Broadcast on
- 22 Aug 2022
- Audio Format
- other
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The pressure. The expectations. The anxiety. If there’s one thing that many of us have in common, it’s the stress that can come from performing in front of others. In this week’s episode, we revisit our 2021 conversation with cognitive scientist Sian Beilock about why so many of us crumble under pressure — and what we can do about it.
Don't forget to check out the other episodes in our You 2.0 series, including last week's show about how we can harness our sight to achieve our goals. Also, if you'd like to support our work, you can do so at support.hiddenbrain.org. Thanks!
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This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vadantam. During the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the women's 100-meter freestyle race had a favorite. Australia's Kate Campbell. The swimmer had won two bronze medals at the 2008 Olympics and a gold medal at the 2012 Games. One month before Rio, she broke the world record in the 100-meter freestyle. After that race, she confessed. She didn't really know how she did it. I think the best swims, you don't remember. So I don't remember a whole lot of it. I just remember getting on the blossom thing like stealing good stuff. Once you got a good start, it's all downhill from there. So I think that that's pretty much what I did. And then, came Rio. At first, it looked like she was going to win. Kate's start was a little bit slower than everybody else. The point eight of a second was the reaction time. But once she hit the water, look at the world record line on her waist, a great first 50, 24.77. Kate had a commanding lead, but after the 50-meter turn, something happened. Her lead began to evaporate. Look, there's quite a few lining up now. This is not clear, because at all. In the final sprint, other swimmers edged past her. She ended up in sixth place. Wow, what a shocking result. Later, she said, the world got to witness possibly the greatest choke in Olympic history. It turned out Kate thought she had flinched before the starting gun. A false start. As she hit the water, she was certain she was going to be disqualified. Her race plan went out the window. She panicked. She swam the first 25 meters too fast, and then ran out of gas on the home stretch. Versions of Kate's story play out all the time for elite athletes across a range of sports. The pressure, the nerves, they can get to even the very best of the best. Yeah, I mean, it's a little counterintuitive, right? You want to perform at your best. You know how to do it, and you have shown that so many times before. And then, all of a sudden, you just can't pull it off. This week on Hidden Brain, in the latest in our YouTube.0 series, we look at why we choke, how pressure can hijack our bodies and our brains, and how to keep it from derailing us. [MUSIC] Support for Hidden Brain comes from Liberty Mutual Insurance. Making smart decisions includes considering how to protect your car and home, and how much you're paying to ensure them. Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance to save you money, because when you've worked hard for something, choosing insurance should be easy. Start your quote at libertymutual.com. Support for Hidden Brain comes from Southern New Hampshire University. The brain is in fixed. It's flexible. That means we're always capable of transformation. A master's degree from SNHU can help you build the skills to become whoever you want. A leader, career changer, dream chaser. With no set class times and low online tuition, SNHU makes grad school possible, because it's never too late to learn something new. Get started at snhu.edu/brain. Support for Hidden Brain comes from Defender. Even the boldest journey starts small, with a single decision to go somewhere new. The Defender 110 is a vehicle built for those moments, for drivers capable of great things, whether they're headed toward uncharted territory or just a weekend away. The Defender 110 combines on-road presence with off-road capability. It looks tough, because it is, with an exterior engineered for durability. Inside, capability meets comfort, with seating for five and the option for seven, plus refined finishes and thoughtful design. It's also packed with intuitive tech, like 3D surround cameras with clear-side ground view
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The pressure. The expectations. The anxiety. If there’s one thing that many of us have in common, it’s the stress that can come from performing in front of others. In this week’s episode, we revisit our 2021 conversation with cognitive scientist Sian Beilock about why so many of us crumble under pressure — and what we can do about it.