Choke

What the secrets of the brain reveal about getting it right when you have to.

by Sian Beilock, Ph.D.

Why Fearing Failure Begets Failure

Our performance is often linked to financial incentives. This is certainly true in the business world where employers regularly make payment contingent on workers’ performance or productivity. Read More

The Fear of Public Speaking

Giving a presentation to a room-full of people or just voicing your opinion in a meeting can be a nerve-wracking experience. Even if you are prepared, have made notes, or practiced your introduction, once you are on the spot, it’s pretty easy to get unnerved. Read More

Alcohol Benefits the Creative Process

Creative thought is something we often aspire to. Whether it’s in terms of artistic products, scientific discoveries, or business innovations, creative accomplishments drive advancement in much of what we do. Read More

Dealing With the Pain of Social Exclusion

On the surface, the pain of being excluded seems pretty different from physical pain, but it turns out that these experiences share a common biological basis in the brain. Read More

Creativity Happens When You Least Expect It

It's well known that there are circadian or daily rhythms in basic physiological functions like body temperature or digestion. Interestingly, these circadian rhythms extend to our psychological abilities too. Simply put, we tend to have more brainpower at our peak circadian arousal time, which leads to success on activities that require us to concentrate and mentally 'buckle down.' Read More

Feeling Lonely? Take a Warm Bath

We often talk about personality in physical terms. Whether it's someone giving us the "cold shoulder" or being a "warm" individual, it's not uncommon to reference, say, temperature when describing the people we know. The idea is that we deal with abstract psychological states the best way we know how — we take them literally. Read More

Meditation Helps Keep Our Wandering Minds In Line

We spend a lot of time thinking about what is NOT happening, contemplating events that occurred in the past or that might happen in the future. Indeed, this sort of "mind-wandering" is thought to be the default operating mode of our brains. Read More

Want To Know What Politicians Are Thinking? Look At Their Hands

There is no denying that the run-up to the 2012 U.S. presidential elections has begun. Whether it's in the form of debates or television ads, politicians are trying to get their message out and pick up votes anyway they can. But, sometimes it's hard to tell what a candidate really thinks about an issue. Read More

Parents: Your Words Matter

Simply put, what parents say and do matters. O.K., its perhaps not new news that parents can model language and behavior for their kids. But, what is surprising, is the extent of this parental impact. Read More

Want to Successfully Manage Your Emotions? Be Flexible

Life is full of stressful situations, some of which are lower on the totem pole of emotional intensity and some much higher. On the lower end might be a morning drive to work in unexpected traffic or a subtle reminder from your boss about the minor deadline you missed. Read More

Meditation: Small Dose, Big Effect

It's no secret that meditation can have powerful effects on the mind and body. What is somewhat surprising is the new evidence accumulating in favor of the idea that even brief bouts of meditative practice can help to reprogram the mind. As it happens, little steps have big effects. Read More

Greening Your Brain

Summer is over, which means that many of us are back to school, back to work, and back to city life. City living can be taxing. Navigating crowded downtown streets, dealing with constant noise and general urban chaos can send even the most dedicated city dweller over the edge. Yet, as it happens, there are some pretty simple things you can do to counteract the negative aspects of urban life. Read More

Why Pretty Girls Can’t Do Math

It's that time of year again. Across the country, students are going back to school. For many, September means new text books, new pencils and new school clothes - the latter falling under the scrutiny of watchful parents this academic year because of some questionable slogans that seem to perpetuate stereotypes about girls and intelligence. Read More

Word of Mouth: What Makes Us Gossip?

We all do it. We share stories with others, gossip about a co-worker at the office, and tweet articles we find on-line to friends and family. But, what drives people to share, and why is some information shared more than others? Read More

Training the Brain to Avoid Temptation

What do cheating on your diet, overreacting to a tantrum thrown by your child, and having a drink even though you decided to stop drinking have in common? They all involve failures of self-control. Read More

How Japan Captured the World Cup Title

Yesterday, the United States and Japan met in the finals of the FIFA Women's Soccer World Cup. The U.S. had already won the World Cup two times previously - in both 1991 and 1999 - and were expected to dominate again this time around. Japan, on the other hand, had never taken home this prestigious title. Read More

City Living Stresses The Brain

It's estimated that by the year 2050, 69% of all humans will live in urban areas. Although city dwellers, on average, are wealthier and have better access to healthcare and other services, there are some downsides to urban living. For instance, people raised in cities are more prone to mental disorders than people who live in rural areas. This is actually not a new news. Read More

Flocking to the Familiar under Stress

We constantly have to make decisions when we are stressed out. Whether it's choosing between the healthy dinner option or the unhealthy comfort food when deciding what to eat after a long day at the office or which route to take to work when we are running late to a meeting, we make decisions under duress throughout the day. So, what predicts the choices we make? Read More

How Mindfulness Meditation Alters the Brain

It's no secret that the age-old practice of meditation has gained mass appeal. Meditative practices are no longer just for health gurus and Yogis, they are now embraced by politicians, celebrities, athletes and even those of us who don't make the cover of US Weekly. Read More

Why Good Manners Mean Less Work For Everyone

When someone enters a building, what predicts whether or not they will hold the door open for a stranger approaching from behind? New research published last month in the journal Psychological Science shows that one big factor is whether this door holding is likely to result in the expenditure of less total effort than if each person had opened the door on his or her own. Read More

When Less Information Is More: Why Vague Feedback Helps Weight Loss

We are on a never ending quest for precise information. Just take the bathroom scale as an example. Several years ago we were happy to stand on the scale and get an estimate of how many pounds we weighed plus or minus ½ pound or so. Now, we can buy scales that give us feedback about our weight, % body fat and even hydration levels to three decimal places out. Read More

Needing to Pee Enhances Decision Making…Really

Picture it: You are in the middle of making a string of important decisions at work or with your family and - all of a sudden - you realize you really need to pee. Common sense would suggest that you should politely excuse yourself, attend to your business, and return so that you can make clear headed decisions without being distracted by the need to go. Read More

Being Rejected Hurts…Literally

On the surface, spilling a hot cup of coffee on yourself and finding out that your spouse is leaving you seem like pretty distinct events. Whereas the first case involves intense physical pain, the second one does not. But, consider how we often describe these types of events. We use the same words to illustrate both situations. Read More

The Curse of Expertise

With the growing anxiety about public safety posed by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station which was severely damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, it's no surprise that, around the world, nuclear power experts are being called upon to talk about the potential consequences of the disaster. Read More

A Self-Aware Brain Makes It Easier to Change Your Behavior

We all have behaviors that we want to change - whether it's the way we eat, how often we exercise, or a lingering smoking habit. Interestingly, new research shows that one strong predictor of whether or not we will be successful in getting rid of bad habits has to do with how engaged brain areas devoted to thinking about ourselves become when we contemplate behavioral change. Read More

The Upside of Stress

It likely comes as no surprise that the stressful situations you encounter at work - say speaking in front of others or dealing with demanding clients - can have a negative impact on your ability to think and reason on your feet. Read More

When It Comes to Our Social Networks, Brain Size Matters

Ever wonder why some people have more friends than others? Why some run in large and complex social circles while others have a small group of acquaintances? There are no doubt a variety of factors that influence the extent of our social networks. New research shows, however, that one factor we may not have considered before is right inside our head. Read More

How Our Cell Phones Control Our Minds

Businesses who don't get enough phone traffic may want to rethink their phone number. This is because when people dial a telephone number, letters corresponding to the numbers they are dialing automatically seep into mind. Dialing 5683 brings up the idea of LOVE and dialing 75463 makes SLIME pop into mind. Even though we may not be aware of it, our actions can mold our thoughts. Read More

Study Habits of the Tiger Mom: Some Learning Benefits?

It's all over the news. America is fascinated with Amy Chua's book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother." But, regardless of whether you are revolted by what you hear, or think there is something to hard-driving parenting, one thing is hard to dispute, the frequent testing and quizzing that is a hallmark of the Tiger Mom's academic approach has some learning benefits. Read More

Exercise and the Brain: A Fit Body Leads To a Fit Mind

Olga Kotelko is a 91-year-old Canadian Masters track athlete, with a world record-setting habit. Kotelko has been known to throw a javelin 20 feet farther than her nearest rival. Read More

Sian Beilock, Ph.D., is a psychology professor at The University of Chicago and an expert on the brain science behind performance failure under pressure.

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