Cognitive Biases Can Work for You

Today's Basketball site post on Positive Bias.

Cross-post (full) on Performing Under Pressure, with key points highlighted.

Weisinger and Pawliw-Fry wrote an excellent book, "Performing Under Pressure" reviewing the science and experience about performance enhancement.



This podcast gives the author's perspective. What differs from many books, this work shares 22 specific methods that athletes and other individuals can use to attenuate the degrading effects of pressure.

Business Insider gives a more truncated summary.

• The author chooses an evolutionary perspective (including neuroscience)
• Pressure diminishes our capacity to function (proven statistically)
• Expects most readers to jump to 'solutions' section 
• "How do I perform better in the moment?" 
• "How do I reduce pressure feelings?"
• "Those who see 'moments' in the spotlight as opportunity tend to do the best. 
• Find strategies that work for you...make it personal. 
• Look for small successes on the route to big picture. This is John Wooden's "Little things make big things happen." 
• Focus. In Monte Burke's "Saban," Coach Saban is having a conversation in a bar that is being robbed. After the robbery, someone approaches him if he even noticed the robbery (he didn't) because of his focus. 
• Process not result. You can't control results but you can control your process. 
• Simulations. Mental practice helps. He also discusses "pre-activity routine," like Steve Nash or Ray Allen simulating a free throw before actually shooting. 
• Use music to optimize your activation and distraction. Find your muse. 
• Weisinger's emphasis is on solutions to reduce anxiety and distracting thoughts. Jerry Lynch (The Way of the Champion) relates an INSTANT POSITIVE RESPONSE. 
• Understand that "your best is usually good enough." 
• In the book, he shares what he calls the COTE of armor, long-term strategies the acronym of Confidence, Optimism, Tenacity, and Enthusiasm. 
• "Confidence comes from proven success." - Bill Parcells
• I find Brett Ledbetter's term 'self-trust' more specific. You deserve self-trust when you have prepared and studied for the moment. 
• Amy Cuddy has given presentations on "Power Positions," that alter (within two minutes) the neurochemical environment by raising testosterone and decrease cortisol. Make yourself physically 'big' to assist your mental edge. 
• Optimism correlates with higher performance. 
• Tenacity to me simply means controlling what you can control. Grind. 
• "Affirm yourself, be positive every day, commit to your best, celebrate. These four simple actions will give you your best possible life."

When asked about his favorite (recent) book that impacted him, he mentioned Daniel Kahneman's Thinking: Fast and Slow. I've read that and emailed (Princeton) professor Kahneman who replied, "I'm surprised that anyone can actually read the whole book." He felt that it was tedious at times. 

Summary: human performance declines under pressure. We can mitigate that decline using simple, reproducible tools that have individual meaning.