Have you ever felt your performance crumble under pressure, especially when the stakes are high? You’re not alone. This phenomenon, known as ‘choking under pressure,’ is often observed in athletes during championship matches or actors performing for prestigious directors. A recent study in monkeys, published in the journal Neuron, might have uncovered the underlying reason for this performance dip.
The study, conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, involved three monkeys trained to complete tasks for a water reward. The monkeys excelled when the reward was moderate or large, but their performance significantly declined when they were presented with an unusually large ‘jackpot.’ This suggests that the anticipation of a substantial reward can negatively impact performance.
To understand the brain’s role in this phenomenon, researchers monitored the activity of hundreds of neurons in the monkeys’ brains using implanted electrodes. These neurons are crucial for ‘motor preparation,’ the process by which the brain prepares for physical actions. The study found that when the monkeys were presented with either a very small or a very large reward, their motor preparation was disrupted, leading to underperformance. This suggests that the brain struggles to reach its optimal zone of activity when the reward is either too small or too large.
The study’s findings highlight the intricate relationship between reward and performance. While a reward serves as motivation, an excessively large reward can overwhelm the brain’s ability to effectively prepare for the task. This research has implications for understanding human performance in various fields, from sports and music to academic pursuits and professional life.
The study’s authors believe that their findings could also help us understand certain psychiatric conditions where reward processing is distorted. Addiction, for instance, involves a misfiring of the reward system, leading individuals to pursue behaviors that are harmful but perceived as pleasurable. Similarly, obsessive-compulsive disorder is associated with an altered reward system.
The researchers are now focusing on developing strategies to enhance optimal neural activity, potentially leading to improved performance under pressure. Their findings provide valuable insights into the brain’s complex response to rewards and open new avenues for exploring how to optimize human performance in various domains.
