Tennis players, gymnasts, swimmers, and just about every athlete knows the feeling of being under pressure. Sometimes athletes do exceedingly well under pressure, but sometimes they crack. If you're a loyal psychedin reader, you know that I've covered this topic in the past. One explanation is that when people are being watched while they are doing a task that they are confident doing, they will do better with an audience, but if they aren't confident they'll do worse with an audience around.
A recent paper published in Nature Science Report offers another possible explanation. When people are being watched they report being more anxious. This leads to an amplification of smaller muscle movements. An fMRI confirmed that being watched created a neurological confusion “between one’s own intentioned action and the perceived intention of others which…could ultimately perturb motor output.”
This phenomenon helps athletes in weightlifting and running, however, because such activities do not require small motor movements. Performance anxiety, according to the principal investigator of this research, can only be combated through practice performing in front of audiences.
A recent paper published in Nature Science Report offers another possible explanation. When people are being watched they report being more anxious. This leads to an amplification of smaller muscle movements. An fMRI confirmed that being watched created a neurological confusion “between one’s own intentioned action and the perceived intention of others which…could ultimately perturb motor output.”
This phenomenon helps athletes in weightlifting and running, however, because such activities do not require small motor movements. Performance anxiety, according to the principal investigator of this research, can only be combated through practice performing in front of audiences.