Why we choke under pressure, according to a cognitive scientist

Part 1 of the TED Radio Hour episode Sports psychology for everyday life

Choking, whiffing it, the yips. For every spectacular performance in sports history, there’s an example of a highly-skilled athlete who folds under pressure. And it’s not just sports: we also might freeze up during a presentation, an important recital or a big speech. But what happens in our brains during those high-stakes moments?

Succeeding when no one’s looking

“I define choking as performing worse than you expected because of the situation and its consequences,” says Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth College and a cognitive scientist who studies how we handle pressure.

As a graduate student, Beilock was part of a study that invited college-level and professional golfers to a lab—outfitted with a putting green—in order to put them under varying levels of pressure.

Beilock’s team observed that golfers who performed well in the experiment often couldn’t recall the details of what they did in the moment of action. They were functioning on autopilot, rather than intently focused on the mechanics of their stroke.

On the other hand, golfers who performed poorly were closely monitoring each step of their swing.

“Counterintuitively, one of the reasons people flub under pressure, especially in athletics, is they start paying too much attention to their performance, things that should just run on autopilot,” Beilock says.

When paying too much attention backfires

In recent years, Beilock’s research team studied this phenomenon of over-attention, which they call “paralysis by analysis.” In another study, they asked college soccer players to dribble while focusing on what side of the foot was contacting the ball. This led to players performing slower and making more mistakes.

Over-attention also pops up in everyday situations, like focusing too closely on a word as you speak or watching your steps as you walk down the stairs.

“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,” Beilock said in a 2017 TED Talk. “It often gets hooked on the wrong things… The end result is that we actually screw up.”

Let your brain take over

Beilock has a few simple hacks for stopping over-attention from getting in the way of our performance potential.

First, practice is key.

Whether preparing to deliver a wedding toast or sit for the SAT, Beilock recommends practicing under the conditions in which you’re going to perform. “You got to make yourself a little nervous,” she says. “Even practicing in front of a mirror, it increases self-consciousness so you’re ready to go when you’re on the big stage or it’s that big day.”

Second, pick a mantra to get you through tough moments.

In order to distract yourself from overthinking, Beilock suggests choosing a song or keyword to focus on rather than dwelling on the details of what you’re doing (Bielock’s own soundtrack is Take It Easy by the Eagles).

Finally, Beilock suggests that we trust our brains to execute what we’ve trained ourselves to do. According to her research, operating outside of conscious control often leads to the best outcomes.

“The most exciting part of my work is showing that you can get better at things with practice and you can learn how to perform and lead in different situations,” Beilock says. “The idea that you’re not born a choker or a thriver, that everyone has to practice and that’s how you are able to show what you know when it matters most, I think, gives me hope.”

This digital story was written by Chloee Weiner and edited by Rachel Faulkner White. The audio version was produced by Katie Monteleone and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHourand email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.