ACADEMIC SUCCESS: STRESS BOOSTS PERFORMANCE FOR CONFIDENT STUDENTS, LIMITS THE ANXIOUS

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

Knowing how to deal with stress in the classroom and elsewhere can make a significant difference in performance, according to new research from the University of Chicago. Researchers found the cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress can enhance performance depending on the frame of mind of a student. Students can shange theor ourlooks b writing about their anxieties before a test and “off-loading” their fears or simply by thinking about a time in the past when they have succeeded, the research shows. The primary researcher is Sian Beilock, an associate professor in psychology at U Chicago. Her reseaerch is published in the current issue of the journal EMOTION. In the case of test taking, good test preparation and a writing exercise can boost performance by reducing anxiety and free up working memory. PERSONAL OBSERVATION: This is an area worthy of study . I could see where a joint effort between neuroscientists and psychologists might help to create more comprehensive and usable techniques for use of performance enhancing stress. I would like, for example to have bloods drawn and hormone levels tested in combination with functional MRI’s to examine brain function/hormonal changes during examinations. I suspect, although I do not know, that significant correlations would be found in glucose uptake and synapse function and cortisol increases and that the limbic system would be a prime engine for control of this powerful force. Special Military Operatives undergo rigorous training to control their stress levels even in heavy fighting (see Malcom Gladwell’s excellent examination of this in Blink). When the normal person would have a skyrocketing heart rate and hyperventilation in combat, less able to perform pre-front lobe objective reasoning, not so these trained individuals.  So what has been thought to be unconscious autonomic functions may, in fact be within our control. Stay tuned. I am researching this topic for next week’s entry.

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