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

When the pressure is on, why do we sometimes fail to live up to our potential? Cognitive scientist and Barnard College president Sian Leah Beilock reveals what happens in your brain and body when you choke in stressful situations, sharing psychological tools that can help you perform at your best when it matters most.

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[chaiwatjeenjua]

Set the speed to 1.25x. Thank me later.

[kapil]

1.Don't think just do it
2.Practice as much as you can
3.Can't find anyone to listen do it in front of mirror or camera
4.Write down your thoughts and worries in a paper just before the situation
5.Make a comfortable environment
6.Overcome your fear

[VictorQianYT]

Imagine how awkward its gonna be if she choked during this ted talk...

[howardcohen]

I recently had my music students write down their pesky thoughts at a music festival spending a lot of time talking about each of them. We gathered before the concert that afternoon and after reading the written-down fears aloud (in three languages) WE BURNED THE PAPER. I can barely describe how freeing this was for ME. We danced around the small fire, joked about the thoughts (joke, not choke), promised ourselves not to let these thoughts back in. The concert was beautiful.

[johntaylor]

That was an excellent talk, well constructed and offered advice that if implemented will definitely help. I would like to add that I feel it is imperative as you apply the suggestions mentioned, you also believe in yourself, which I think is half the battle.

[linzyaz]

I think this concept can be used in therapy for people w/ PTSD & CPTSD. Especially when it has accumulated into a fear of failure bc shame from getting your life back on track combined w/ lack of understanding from those around u. Maybe that is why EDMR therapy seems to be so successful w/ trauma recovery therapy. Very very good talk. Made me think about many possible cognitive connections. I can relate to this concept so much it is ridiculous! Pressure is like kryptonite to me.

[belindahu]

Omg I'm currently in the campus recruiting process, so stressed out and pressured every single day. This video really helps me!

[kulik]

This is the first TED talk that I've liked for months

[alex]

i got nervous when she said the coach was watching her, i never even played Soccer.
Calm down Alex.

[randomstuff]

That math thing is absolutely correct. My father was never good at maths and he would always say how he struggled during his school days in maths. This got in my mind and I started struggling in maths I am good in high school maths but when it comes to elementary maths I still suck at it.

[pravinkhude]

Perfect research, many watching this video would recollect their choking moment. I did the same. But, Math doesn't scare me at all. This research is amazing if not convincing to most, at least we would not discourage our children with the thing we are scared of.

[Fierfek]

My fear of maths stems from poor teaching practices. If I didn't understand something, I was shouted at and made to do more of the thing I didn't understand. When the penny finally dropped, no thanks to my teachers, or my parents really, I was given something else I didn't understand, shouted at and punished for not understanding that instead. To this day I have a visceral fear of maths and I still don't understand as much as I should, I work with 8 year olds who surpass my abilities, which hurts, and deepens my anger and resentment of 80's "one size fits all" teaching. fortunately, schools have learned a lot in the last 30 years.

[theguardian]

its really helpful, thank you so much Sian Leah Beilock

[RobinLundqvist]

I don’t have social anxiety but this just happens when I get too exited, when I’m about to score a goal, I just get this rush of energy and forget my plan.

[Stayceltic]

This is helping me cope with a commemorative speech tomorrow in my Public Speaking class tomorrow.

[SavvasCube]

Interesting topic, but the conclusion of the talk is pretty simple.
Practice under stress to do well under stress.
Same thing applies to everything. You have to practice for what is going (or what you want) to happen.

[paulgrigor]

I get a memory loss every now & again & I have to apply something similar to the narrative. Now I'm more aware of what I was doing it for & feel a new construct to go by thanks TED 🐻 😂

[mohammednassan]

she got so much, very useful, great.

[bao]

I just failed my exam because I couldn’t reach my potential under pressure. I have been suffering from this pain since two weeks ago. Although I studied a lot and fried my brain, I couldn’t make good choices when I choked. This video helps me overcome my pain, and I think we should not only study but also practice training our minds to get used to stressful situations.

[MasksOfficial]

I personally both thrive and fail under pressure it really depends on what it is that's pressuring me. A good example of this would be when I first started training in MMA there was one guy who could always out grapple me so I always got nervous having to go against him. However through time I changed that into motivation and as time passed I got better and better and a really surprisingly high rate it actually got to the point I had to go from kids classes to adults (I was 8 at the time) by the time I was 13 I was taking on people twice my age and half my bodyweight heavier than me. Turn your stress and anxiety into motivation by not focusing on it but by learning from it. If I can do it so can you as humans we believe that we can't do great things but we really aren't that different. Please just keep in mind that nobody is smarter or better than you at anything if you really put the time and effort into it.