Reappraise anxiety as excitement before high-stakes performance

Tell yourself "I’m excited" rather than "I’m nervous" — the physiology is the same, the performance effect is not.

Why it works

Anxiety and excitement are physiologically nearly identical — both involve elevated heart rate, elevated cortisol, and heightened arousal. The difference is appraisal: anxiety involves a threat appraisal, excitement an opportunity appraisal. Research by Alison Wood Brooks shows that reappraising pre-performance arousal as excitement rather than anxiety shifts the appraisal without requiring the performer to calm down (which is physiologically difficult under high arousal) — and the shift to opportunity appraisal reduces the self-monitoring that causes choking.

How to do it

1. Before a high-stakes performance, notice the physical arousal (racing heart, heightened alertness).
2. Say aloud or internally: "I am excited" — not "I am calm" or "I should relax."
3. Reframe the stakes: "This is an opportunity to show what I’ve prepared."
4. Repeat the reappraisal each time the threat interpretation returns — it is not a one-time switch.

Evidence

Brooks (2014) found in multiple randomized experiments that participants who said "I am excited" before a stressful task outperformed those who said "I am calm" or made no statement, across singing, math, and public speaking tasks. The effect is attributed to shifting arousal from a threat to an opportunity appraisal. (rct)

The experiments used relatively brief stressors; whether the effect holds under longer-duration or more severe performance pressure is less established.

Sources

• Brooks (2014), get excited: reappraising pre-performance anxiety as excitement, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

Common mistake

Trying to calm down (reduce arousal) rather than reappraise it — calming is difficult against a high-arousal physiological state, while reappraisal works with the arousal rather than against it.