Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement
Brooks (2014) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(3)
We use this paper in 2 places in the academy · 1 stated limit
What the study found
In a lab study, 113 people were about to sing karaoke to a stranger. Those told to say “I am excited” scored 80% on the game's accuracy measure. Those told to say “I am anxious” scored 53%. The other groups, who said they were calm, angry or sad, or said nothing, scored about 69%. The anxiety people reported did not fall, but the excitement they reported rose.
What the study cannot prove
The participants were students performing under pressure: karaoke, a short speech and a maths test. They were not talking to someone they liked. Saying they were excited raised the excitement they reported and improved their performance. The anxiety they reported did not fall.
Limits we note on the exercises
The participants were students doing performance tasks: singing, a short speech and a maths test. None of the tasks was a conversation. The effect is on how well people perform under pressure, not on being liked.
Where we use it
We use this paper in 2 places in the academy. If the paper turned out to be wrong, we would have to change everything in this list. Some of the exercise instructions below are part of Gold. You can read every finding for free.
Other papers used in the same places
These papers are used in the same topics and videos as this one. That does not mean the papers agree with each other. It only means that the same exercises use both.
Beautiful Mess Effect: Self–Other Differences in Evaluation of Showing Vulnerability
Bruk, Scholl & Bless (2018)It Doesn't Hurt to Ask: Question-Asking Increases Liking
Huang, Yeomans, Brooks, Minson & Gino (2017)The Liking Gap in Conversations: Do People Like Us More Than We Think?
Boothby, Cooney, Sandstrom & Clark (2018)Maximizing Exposure Therapy: An Inhibitory Learning Approach
Craske, Treanor, Conway, Zbozinek & Vervliet (2014)The Spotlight Effect in Social Judgment
Gilovich, Medvec & Savitsky (2000)Duration Neglect in Retrospective Evaluations of Affective Episodes; When More Pain Is Preferred to Less
Fredrickson & Kahneman (1993); Kahneman, Fredrickson, Schreiber & Redelmeier (1993)Research
A real study. We tell you what it found, how many people were in it, and what it can't prove.
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