Why Telling Yourself to “Calm Down” Backstage May Be Counterproductive
Why Telling Yourself to “Calm Down” Backstage May Be Counterproductive  
Podcast: The Bulletproof Musician
Published On: Sun Nov 27 2022
Description: Most people intuitively assume that the best way to address performance anxiety is to calm down, but research suggests that this may actually result in worse performances (?!).A 2013 paper describes three studies in different performance domains that give us a counterintuitive - and more effective - way to respond to performance anxiety. Why Telling Yourself to “Calm Down” Backstage May Be Counterproductive====More from The Bulletproof MusicianGet the free weekly newsletter, for more nerdy details and bonus subscriber-only content.Pressure Proof: A free 7-day performance practice crash course that will help you shrink the gap between the practice room and the stage.Learning Lab: A continuing education community where musicians and learners are putting research into practice.Live and self-paced courses