STRESS and PERFORMANCE

I recently finished reading, Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.  

A section of the book was devoted toward investigating the relationship between anxiety and performance. Conventional wisdom tells us that positive feelings should lead to a strong performance (athletic, social, academic, etc) and negative feelings, such as anxiety and anger, leads to making mistakes.  However the research does not necessarily support this.  

Over thirty years ago, Dr. Yuri Hanin proposed a theory in which he claims we each have our own Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning in relation to athletic endeavors.  Recent studies have confirmed that this is true in nonathletic contexts as well – from coping with stage fright to military operations to taking a test in a classroom.

The basic idea is that we each have our own individual arousal (stress) level that should be met in order for us to achieve optimum functioning. For example, if I go into an interview for a new job and my arousal level is too low I may not be on top of my game and perform poorly.  On the other hand, if my arousal level is too high I may freeze up and perform poorly.  It needs to be the right amount for me.

This section in the book concludes that anxiety in itself is not always bad.  The appraisal we give it and our coping strategies are just as important to channeling it into optimum performance.

 

So the next time you take on a new endeavor, consider the stress load that will accompany it.  Will it cause you to be at or above your zone of optimum functioning?  How will you appraise the new stressors?  Do you have coping strategies in place to maintain an optimum functioning?

Hanin, Yuri L., “Performance Related Emotional States In Sport: A Qualitative Analysis,” Qualitative Research, vol. 4(1), art. 5 (2003)

Jamieson, Jeremy P., Wendy Berry Mendes, Erick Blackstock, & Tori Schmader, “Turning the Knots in Your Stomach into Bows: Reappraising Arousal Improves Performance on the GRE,” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 46(1), pp.208-212 (2010).