Why does stress tend to decrease performance at complex tasks?

Question

I speed solve Rubik’s cubes as a hobby, and I’ve noticed that my solve times are consistently worse when I’m feeling anxious about my performance than when I’m relaxed and in the moment. However, I’ve heard stress and anxiety described as a response by the nervous system meant to heighten an organism’s performance in high-stakes situations. Why would stress cause me to perform worse at this task instead of better?

In: 54

Answer 1

Stress finetunes all processes in your body to funnel as much energy as possible into your muscles, lungs and heart and makes your brain switch to “quick and dirty” autopilot.