Photo by Mohamed Nohassi
We've all encountered situations that make us anxious, whether it's public speaking, meeting with a manager, starting a new job, or any other event that triggers pre-performance jitters. How do you know you are anxious? That feeling in your stomach. Increased heartbeat. Increased perspiration.
Now, consider the thoughts you have when you are anxious before an event, for example public speaking: “What if I freeze in front of everyone?”, “What if I forget my lines?”, “What if can’t answer a question?”, “I don’t feel prepared”.
Now you are in a loop where your anxiety induces negative thinking and your negative thinking induces more anxiety, resulting in yet more physical discomfort. You are firmly in the grip of a threat mindset.
The most common advice is to calm down. However, research indicates that this might not be the best approach. There's an intriguing alternative.
The Research
Alison Wood Brookes, Professor at Harvard Business School conducted innovative studies involving various scenarios, selected for their capacity to induce pre-performance anxiety amongst participants, and explored an alternative strategy: embracing anxiety as excitement. Surprisingly, those who reframed their anxiety as excitement reported increased enthusiasm and performed better, compared to those who attempted to calm down.
The Psychology
Remember a previous event that you were genuinely excited about—maybe it was meeting a childhood hero or watching your favourite sports team win a championship. What did you feel? That feeling in your stomach. Increased heartbeat. Increased perspiration.
Anxiety and excitement are both high-arousal (increased heartrate) emotions. The body sensations you experience for both emotions are similar, so they have what’s called arousal congruency and that is important.
The Solution
Today’s exercise seems ridiculously easy, and it is. But it is also effective. The next time you are feeling the physical sensations of anxiety, say out loud “I am excited” or encourage yourself to “get excited”.
Recognize that the sensations you are feeling are preparing you for the upcoming challenge. That’s it. By telling yourself that you are excited, rather than anxious, you move from a threat mindset to an opportunity mindset, resulting in an improved performance.
Ironically, trying to force yourself to calm down, when you are clearly anxious, can intensify your anxiety. Calmness is a low-arousal emotion so, trying to switch from anxiety, a high arousal emotion, to calmness will not achieve the results of switching from one high-arousal emotion to another, such as excitement.
The Wrap-Up
The emotions of anxiety and excitement give rise to similar body sensations. Therefore, by swapping the word "excited" for "anxious" when describing your feelings, you can significantly enhance your performance.
As Professor Brookes says, “Instead of trying to “Keep Calm and Carry On,” perhaps the path to success begins by simply saying “I am excited.”” Give it a try and share your experience in the comments or via direct message. Your shift from anxiety to excitement can be a game-changer!
Delve Deeper
Brooks, A. W. (2014). Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(3), 1144-1158. doi:10.1037/a0035325
Crum, A. J., & Langer, E. J. (2007). Mind-set matters: Exercise and the placebo effect. Psychological Science, 18(2), 165-171.
James O'Boyle MBA MSc
Emotionally Agile You Newletter - A smorgasbord of tools, techniques and scientifically driven advice to help you thrive.
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