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Athlete rituals a theater of the bizarre
Deutsche Welle: Michael Phelps may be known for winning a record 22 Olympic medals. What’s less known is that whenever he gets ready to race, he walks to the starting block, takes off his headphones
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Why Bronze Medalists Are Happier Than Silver Winners
Scientific American: In 1892, psychologist William James wrote these words in this foundational book, The Principles of Psychology. James’s observation echoes a sentiment that is well known in psychology: a person’s achievements matter less than
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Not just for Olympians: Mental strategy can help weekend athletes perform, or at least enjoy
The Washington Post: NEW YORK — Now that you’ve been watching the world’s top athletes compete in London, you may be inspired to go out and pursue your own sport at, um, less than an
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Would You Rather Win Silver Or Bronze? (Be Careful What You Wish For)
NPR: Both athletes were U.S. swimmers, both were dripping wet after finishing an Olympics final, and both had just won medals. The first said, “It’s not my normal specialty. … We went out there and
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Lolo’s No Choke
TIME: Choke. The word just sounds so noxious, really. Never mind its ties to suffocation and death. Just say it: choke. Athletes in particular would like to strangle the scribe who first applied such an
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Mind games help athletes psych their way to victory
msnbc: Nearly three dozen studies have analyzed sports “self-talk,” in which athletes tell themselves variants of “I’ve got this!” or “I can beat this guy!” Sports psychologist Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis of the University of Thessaly in
