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Psychological Stress Impedes Performance, Even for Olympic Athletes
Research done in Psychological Science provides support for something sports fans have long suspected: When athletes feel the pressure, their performance suffers.
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How Did Lebron James Break the NBA All-Time Scoring Record? By Playing the Long Game
Say you’re LeBron James and your long-term goal is to score 38,388 points and break the NBA all-time scoring record. Scoring 30 points in a forgettable mid-season game early in your career was great, but was also just a drop in the 30,000-plus points bucket. Success has, until last
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What World Cup Penalty Shootouts Can Teach You About Performing Well Under Extreme Pressure? A Lot, Considerable Science Says
If you think you’re capable of diving deep into rabbit holes, consider psychologist Geir Jordet. He spent five years watching every penalty shootout of every major men’s international soccer tournament (of which the World Cup
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We Could All Learn a Thing or Two From Fans of Lousy Sports Teams
When I attended a Washington Wizards open practice at D.C.’s Capital One Arena earlier this month, the focus was more on spectator entertainment than Rocky-style workouts. The season opener was a week away, and the players
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Think You Can Be Anything You Want to Be? Science Says No–Unless You Want to Be an Entrepreneur
My best friend growing up rolled a 160 the first time we went bowling. He had never hit a tennis ball, but on a whim he borrowed a kid’s racket, entered a youth tournament, and won. He
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What Makes a Champion? Varied Practice, Not Single-Sport Drilling
Even when young competitors show tremendous promise in a specialized sport, they’re likely to emerge better adult athletes if they take a more multidisciplinary approach.
