1 year ago
129
Mind
A brain mechanism that enables us to carry out tasks to achieve a certain reward may get disrupted when a jackpot prize is in sight
England’s men’s football captain Harry Kane after his team was knocked out of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final in December 2022 James Williamson/AMA/Getty Images
The prospect of a reward usually motivates us to perform better, but a particularly big one can have the opposite effect – like losing at a penalty shoot-out. Now, researchers have identified a potential brain mechanism that may cause us to choke under pressure.
In 2021, Adam Smoulder at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, and his colleagues showed that non-human primates can also fail to carry out a task …
No commitment, cancel anytime*
Offer ends 14th June 2023.
*Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues.
Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)
or
Existing subscribers
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
English (US)