Your favorite athlete closes in for a win; the crowd holds its breath, and at the crucial moment ... she misses the shot. That competitor just experienced the phenomenon known as "choking," where despite months, even years, of practice, a person fails right when it matters most. Why does this happen, and what can we do to avoid it? Noa Kageyama and Pen-Pen Chen explain why we choke under pressure.
你最喜歡的運動員要贏了，觀眾都屏住了呼吸，在關鍵時刻，她投偏了。 這位選手剛剛經歷了被稱為」窒息」的現象，儘管經過幾個月，甚至幾年的練習，一個人還是在最關鍵的時候失敗了。 為什麼會這樣，我們該怎麼避免呢？讓我們聽聽 Noa kageyama 和 pen-pen chen 為我們解釋為什麼我們會在壓力下會「窒息」。
中英文對照：
Your favorite athlete closes in for a victorious win. The crowd holds its breath, and, at the crucial moment, she misses the shot.
你最愛的運動員即將迎來制勝一擊， 觀眾們屏住呼吸， 但在這重要時刻，她失誤了。
That competitor just experienced the phenomenon known as "choking," where despite months, even years, of practice, a person fails right when it matters most. Choking is common in sports, where performance often occurs under intense pressure and depends on key moments. And yet, performance anxiety also haunts public speakers, contestants in spelling bees, and even world-famous musicians. Most people intuitively blame it on their nerves, but why does being nervous undermine expert performance?
這位選手剛經歷了「反勝為敗」現象， 縱使進行了經年累月的練習， 人們仍會在關鍵時刻失敗。 「反勝為敗」在運動界 是一種普遍現象， 因為運動員的表現都在壓力下進行， 並且會受到比賽節點的影響。但這種焦慮也會影響演講者， 拼字遊戲中的選手們， 以及世界著名的音樂家。 絕大多數人憑直覺 將其歸咎於精神緊張， 但為何緊張的情緒 會影響專業人士的表現呢？
There are two sets of theories, which both say that primarily, choking under pressure boils down to focus.
兩組理論對此進行了解釋。 二者都認為壓力下的「反勝為敗」 歸根結底是注意力問題。
First, there are the distraction theories. These suggest that performance suffers when the mind is preoccupied with worries, doubts, or fears, instead of focusing its attention on performing the task at hand. When relevant and irrelevant thoughts compete for the same attention, something has to give. The brain can only process so much information at once.
第一種理論是幹擾理論。 該理論認為當擔憂、疑惑和恐懼 佔據了人們的頭腦， 讓人們無法集中注意力 在手頭的任務，其表現就會受到影響。 當與任務相關和 無關的信息爭奪注意力時， 其中一方不得不做出讓步。 大腦能夠同時處理的信息量有限。
Tasks that challenge working memory, the mental 「scratch pad」 we use to temporarily store phone numbers and grocery lists, are especially vulnerable to pressure. In a 2004 study, a group of university students were asked to perform math problems, some easy, others more complex and memory-intensive. Half the students completed both problem types with nothing at stake, while the others completed them when calm and under pressure. While everyone did well on the easy problems, those who were stressed performed worse on the more difficult, memory-intensive tasks.
工作記憶是我們頭腦中的「速寫板」， 我們用它短暫存儲 電話號碼和購物清單等。 對於高度要求工作記憶的任務來說， 壓力對其影響尤為嚴重。 在 2004 年的一項研究中， 一組大學生被要求解答數學問題， 一些題目簡單，另一些 則非常困難，且需要大量記憶。 一半學生在沒有任何顧忌的 情況下解答全部題目， 另一半學生分別在 冷靜狀態和壓力狀態下完成題目。 儘管所有人在簡單問題上表現良好， 但對於更困難 且需要記憶的題目來說， 經受壓力的學生表現更差。
Explicit monitoring theories make up the second group of explanations for choking under pressure. They’re concerned with how pressure can cause people to overanalyze the task at hand. Here, the logic goes that once a skill becomes automatic, thinking about its precise mechanics interferes with your ability to do it.
第二套解釋該現象的理論是 外部控制理論。 這一理論是關於 壓力如何使人們 過度分析當前的任務。 這種說法的邏輯在於， 一旦某種技能成為下意識的熟練技能， 思考其精確的原理機制 就會妨礙使用該技能。 需要下意識完成的任務 最容易出現「反勝為敗」。 一項研究對比了高爾夫選手的表現， 一組選手只需要關注準確揮桿， 另一組則被要求時刻想著 揮桿動作是否符合標準原理。 高爾夫選手通常 依靠潛意識完成動作， 因此在選手突然要 調整動作達到標準時， 他們反而更難打出準確一擊。
Tasks we do unconsciously seem to be most vulnerable to this kind of choking. A study on competitive golfers compared their performance when instructed to simply focus on putting as accurately as possible, versus when they were primed to be acutely aware of the mechanics of their putting stroke. Golfers usually perform this action subconsciously, so those who suddenly tuned in to the precise details of their own moves also became worse at making accurate shots. Choking may not be inevitable for everyone though. Research suggests that some are more susceptible than others, especially those who are self-conscious, anxious, and afraid of being judged negatively by others.
雖然並非所有人 都會經歷「反勝為敗」， 但研究表明， 部分人群更容易受到影響， 尤其是那些自我意識較強的， 容易焦慮的， 害怕他人負面評價的人。
So, how can we avoid choking when it really counts? First, it helps to practice under stressful conditions. In a study on expert dart players, researchers found that those who hadn’t practiced under stress performed worse when anxious, compared to those who had become accustomed to pressure. Secondly, many performers extol the virtues of a pre-performance routine, whether it’s taking a few deep breaths, repeating a cue word, or doing a rhythmic sequence of movements. Studies on golfing, bowling, and water polo find that short rituals can lead to more consistent and accurate performance under pressure.
既然「反勝為敗」影響如此之大， 我們該如何避免它的出現呢？ 首先， 在壓力環境下練習會有所幫助。 在一項關於專業飛鏢選手的研究中， 研究者發現，從未在壓力下 練習過的選手，在焦慮時 比習慣壓力的選手表現更差。 第二，許多運動員 推崇進行賽前例行動作， 例如進行幾次深呼吸， 重複某個提示詞， 或是進行有節奏的一系列動作。 在高爾夫、保齡球 和水球方面的研究發現， 進行簡短的儀式性動作 可以使選手在壓力下的 表現更為正常和準確。
And thirdly, researchers have shown that having an external focus on the ultimate goal works better than an internal focus, where someone is tuned into the mechanics of what they’re doing. A study of experienced golfers revealed that those who hit chip shots while focused on the flight of the ball performed significantly better than those who focused on the motion of their arms.
第三，研究者表示， 將注意力集中在實現最終目標上， 比關注在內部調整自己 符合規範動作原理要更加有效。 一項高爾夫研究表明， 在切削擊球的經驗豐富的選手中， 那些關注球的飛行線路的選手， 比關注自己手臂運動的 選手表現好得多。
So, perhaps we can modify that age-old saying: practice, under pressure, with focus, and with that glorious end goal in sight, makes perfect.
因此我們也許可以 修改那句古老諺語， 練習， 在壓力下， 保持專注， 鎖定目標的練習， 才會熟能生巧。