Those who believe they perform better under pressure may be wasting their potential. We invite you to find out in which situations this can be an advantage or a disadvantage.
Last update: May 24, 2022
Did you study at university the night before the exam or did you need constant supervision to complete a task? As adults, do you tend to put off work and projects almost until the last date? Perhaps you feel that this additional tension is what motivates you and makes you efficient. But Is it good or bad to perform better under pressure?
The answer is not simple, as it depends on several factors. As children we are encouraged to approach projects and goals with time and calm.
However, many people find that without this additional stimulus they cannot concentrate and carry out their tasks. If you are one of them, you will be interested in knowing what this is due to and what its consequences are.
Better productions under pressure
It's not all imaginative - you probably give your best when you have to deal with a certain amount of pressure. This can be caused by lack of time, supervision by a supervisor or by the stakes.
It is a well-known and verified reality in the field of psychology, and was reflected in the famous Yerkes-Dodson law. These authors developed their theory in the early XNUMXth century by stating that the relationship between anxiety and performance takes the form of an inverted U.
In other words, a certain degree of activation (physical or mental) is positive, but if it is excessive it becomes counterproductive.
The pressure provides motivation and allows you to focus more on the task at hand, therefore, to be more careful and meticulous. Without it, we can feel listless and approach work reluctantly and imprecisely.
However, if the pressure is too much, we will feel overwhelmed and paralyzed and perform below our means. Calculating the exact degree of activation we need for optimal performance is not easy, as it depends on several variables.
For example, the personality of each individual or the characteristics of the task: a in the face of a simple activity that we know and master well, pressure can act as a stimulant.
On the contrary, when faced with a complex job, unknown and in which we are not very prepared, excessive anxiety can be extremely counterproductive.
What lies behind the need to be under pressure to perform at your best?
There are people who systematically need tension to take on a job. They generally seek such a situation by postponing everything to the last moment.
This trend, known as procrastination, often hides the fear of not being able to complete the task.
Paradoxically, it is typical of perfectionists: the high degree of demand they impose makes the task overwhelming. Thus, they avoid facing it and indefinitely put off the time to start, getting entangled in unimportant issues and tasks, until they have no choice but to do so.
They may think they are giving their best under pressure, but the truth is they fail to manage negative emotions that the project or activity in question gives rise to in them.
Better Performance Under Pressure: Advantage and Disadvantage
Personality is one of the factors that most influences the degree of activation we can endure before our performance declines. This is precisely why some people get better results under pressure.
Today it is a quality much appreciated by companies, on which recruiters tend to focus in the personnel selection processes. In fact, it indicates the ability to carry out a project quickly and efficiently in high voltage situations and without feeling overwhelmed or paralyzed.
But beware: it is one thing to know how to act under pressure and quite another to need it to act. If we voluntarily wait until the last minute to tackle pending tasks, if we do it because we need that pressure to feel motivated, we are making a mistake.
In such a situation, we will most likely do a mediocre job or, at least, well below what we might have done in other circumstances. The pressure no longer makes us work "to win", but simply "not to lose". We can no longer pay attention to details, revise or add new ideas, we have to be content.
In light of this, if you tend to procrastinate and can't motivate yourself without that extra pressure, dynamics, fears, and emotional management skills may need to be reviewed. This will allow you to better exploit your potential.
