The study carried out by Dunlop, in collaboration with University College London, assesses the importance of mental performance when coping with stress.
Dunlop , tire manufacturer, carried out a study to assess the importance of mental performance in situations of high stress together with Professor Vincent Walsh from University College London (UCL). Among the results obtained, there is the fact that the instinctive part of the brain of people who practice risky sports responds 82% faster when they are subjected to strong pressure.
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The study revealed that extreme sports professionals have an exceptional advantage: in the timed visual test carried out in which participants had to quickly identify a series of shapes and images after having gone through great pressure, these athletes reacted 82% faster than the general population. This percentage can mean the difference between success and failure in a high-risk situation.
Vincent Walsh, Professor at UCL:
“What makes certain people stand out is not their quality in training, but the fact that they are good under pressure. We wanted to put these athletes to the test to see if it was possible to demonstrate what sets them apart from the rest.
We wanted to test these people to see if it was possible to demonstrate what sets them apart from others. In some participants' areas of activity, the ability to make split-second decisions can make a difference.
In the first two tests that the participants performed, centered on the ability to respond under physical pressure, a significant advantage was recorded between people who practice risky sports compared to those who did not practice professional sports. While in conditions of exhaustion the second broke in decision-making dropping their initial scores 60%, the first improved 10% in individual response even being fatigued.
The two subsequent tests sought to find out how the participants withstood psychological pressure and distractions when assessing different risks. In these tests, the different areas of the cortex must work in concert to prevent the performance from falling. In these tests, athletes were 25% faster and 33% more accurate than non-sportsmen.
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The group of professional sportsmen consisted of: John McGuinness, motorcycle rider and TT Isle of Man champion on several occasions, including this year's race, where he stood out for making the quickest decision under psychological pressure; Leo Houlding, a world-renowned free climber who stood out for being the best at assessing possibilities under psychological pressure; Sam Bird, race car driver, who made the quickest decisions under mental pressure; Alexander Polli, base-jumping parachutist, who stood out for having the greatest precision in making quick decisions; and bobsleigh gold medal winner Amy Williams stood out for making the best decision under psychological pressure.
Racer John McGuinness responded more quickly under physical pressure than without any pressure and made no mistakes in the test. Stress was indifferent to him and even benefited him.
Source: Dunlop
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