Does stress cause higher performance?

Interaction of stress and performance

“Challenge and threat”

There is no avoiding or escaping it: stress is part of life. There are many different domains of stress, for example: social stress, academic stress, and financial stress. Stress and pressure are often used interchangeably, but what is the difference between stress and pressure? Is stress caused by pressure? And what is the relationship between stress and higher performance? It is difficult to see a situation, however, where achievement or high performance does not come in a moment of pressure, risk, or personal stakes; so performance and stress are undeniably linked. The link, I think, is in how stress can be broken down into two overlapping domains: that which is controllable or uncontrollable.

How we perceive our controllability of stressors is a key factor that influences how stress affects behavioral performance. Controllability is an aspect of stress that has been explored in “learned helplessness” research. It is possible for stress to be controlled and contributed towards an objective. Thus, each individual has the ability to respond to and funnel the emotions caused by stressors. Stressors can influence cognitive and behavioral functioning in a positive or negative manner. Controllable stress fuels performance, uncontrollable stress inhibits performance. Uncontrollable stress distracts the human from performing in an effective manner, in essence over whelming them.

In other words, the pressure in uncontrollable settings leads us to believe that the stress is a threat to something we value. A threat mentality causes an individual to feel as if they need to hold onto what they have. A threat mentality leads to constriction of blood vessels, restricting blood flow. A Challenge mentality causes an individual to feel empowered and formulate a positive outlook on a situation; a “go for it” or “tough but doable” mindset is established. Many of the same changes take place in the body for challenge and threat mindsets, which is fascinating in the sense that the role of the mind itself plays an outsize role in where performance can go during times of pressure.

As an example, challenge and threat mindsets play a large role in activities which require precise attention, such as golf putting. A study published in The Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology involved 60 experienced golfers who randomly received challenge or threat manipulation instructions and then performed a competitive golf-putting task. Challenge and threat are two different mindsets, essentially the feeling of “confidence” and “defeat.” The threatened golfers who putted in conditions which they were not as comfortable with performed much worse than the challenged golfers who enjoyed the different conditions. One who may feel challenged by a specific objective is more likely to perform at a higher level than an individual who feels defeated by a specific objective. Emotions are proposed to be interpreted as facilitative for performance in a challenge state, but debilitative in a threat state. Interestingly, attention towards an objective is increased in a challenge state, where we perceive that our resources for handling a stressor are sufficient, and that the stress is a challenge to be overcome. In business settings, a separate study showed that executives who entered a challenge state as a result of difficult situations made better split second decisions than those who felt threatened by the same situations.

Challenge vs. threat mindsets are very prevalent in schooling, for example, as a student is working on test and the timer is winding down, the student may either feel discouraged by the timer (they are running out of time and know they won’t finish). On the other hand, the student may feel empowered by the timer and embody the “go for it” mentality and challenge the timer. The difference in viewpoints of competitive situations directly effects performance. Threat and challenge mindsets also play a major role in sports. For example, it is raining and stormy on game day and two athletes are equally prepared for the game, with equal skill level. One athlete may have the mindset “I hate the rain, it’s hard to play in.” While the other athlete may have the mindset “good thing I’ve trained in rain before, it’s no big deal, I’m going to crush it!” The challenge vs. threat mindset alone will determine the outcome of the game.

The Challenge mindset, gain oriented, is when a stressful situation serves as an opportunity to increase ones’ efficiency and performance. The threat mindset is when stressful situations are viewed as an opportunity in which one may feel distraught or discouraged. No mindset is fixed; each unique situation and environment determines an individual’s mindset. If an individual had the ability to always embody a challenge mindset they would be very successful in all domains of life.

1. Article: Challenge vs. Threat Mindset: how to empower yourself and your students to rise to the challenge https://www.competitionsciences.org/2017/12/07/challenge-vs-threat-mindset-how-to-empower-yourself-and-your-students-to-rise-to-the-challenge/

2. Article: Threat vs. Challenge in Sports https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201305/threat-vs-challenge-in-sports

3. Article: The effect of challenge and threat states on performance: An examination of potential mechanisms https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3677799/

Study #1 Golf Putting:

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7ff7/60c55705a9166cf33466e82475bcb0903291.pdf

Study #2 Performance in Athletics:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3369195/

Study #3 Decision Making in Business:

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/strength-weakness-opportunity-challenge-analysis-swoc-34748.html