Don't Choke

Too often, when the big moment arrives, we overthink and underperform. But a cognitive scientist says the key to countering performance anxiety is reframing our physical sensations.

- By Amanda Breen

Few experiences are more frustrating: You spend hours, days, or weeks preparing for a high-pressure moment-a presentation, an interview, a client pitch-and when it finally arrives, stress and anxiety get the best of you.

Instead of giving the performance you know you're capable of, you choke.

Sian Beilock, a cognitive scientist and the president of Barnard College, has experienced this many times-first while growing up as an athlete, and then during her 12-year tenure as a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, where her research focused on how children and adults perform at their best, particularly under stress. All of this led her to write Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To.