Stage fright

Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, whether actually or potentially (for example, when performing before a camera). In the context of public speaking, this fear is termed glossophobia, one of the most common of phobias. Such anxiety may precede or accompany participation in any activity involving public self-presentation. In some cases stage fright may be a part of a larger pattern of social phobia or social anxiety disorder, but many people experience stage fright without any wider problems. Quite often, stage fright arises in a mere anticipation of a performance, often a long time ahead. It has numerous manifestations: fluttering or pounding heart, tremor in the hands and legs, diarrhea, facial nerve tics, dry mouth.

People and situations affected

Stage fright may be observed in people of all experience and background, from those completely new to being in front of an audience to those who have done so for years. It's commonly known among everyday people, which may, for example, affect one's confidence in job interviews. It also affects actors, musicians, politicians, and athletes. Many people with no other problems can experience stage fright (also called 'performance anxiety'), but some people with chronic stage fright also have social anxiety or social phobia which are chronic feelings of high anxiety in any social situation.

Causes

# Perceiving or imagining the presence of significant others who are able to judge them. # Considering the possibility of visible failure at a task, resulting in embarrassment. # Feeling a need to do well to avoid failure. # Feeling uncertain about whether one can do well. Uncertainty plays a major role in experiencing many forms of anxiety. It could be helpful to keep in mind that one cannot control other’s reactions or judgments, but only one’s own performance. # Focusing on behavior and appearance.

An important component of performance anxiety is an acute awareness of one’s own behavior and/or appearance. When experiencing performance anxiety, one focuses one’s attention on the visible appearance of the performance. A possible way of reducing performance anxiety would be to increase one’s awareness of others, without considering them as judges. An attitude of service to others (focusing on helping or serving the audience, instead of oneself), can help one to shift out of performance anxiety (or any kind of social anxiety).

Effects of stage fright

When someone starts to feel the sensation of being scared or nervous they start to experience anxiety. According to a Harvard Mental Health Letter, "Anxiety usually has physical symptoms that may include a racing heart, a dry mouth, a shaky voice, blushing, trembling, sweating, and nausea" (Beyond Shyness). It triggers the body to activate its sympathetic nervous system. This process takes place when the body releases adrenaline into the blood stream causing a chain of reactions to occur. This bodily response is known as the "fight or flight" syndrome, a naturally occurring process in the body done to protect itself from harm. “...The neck muscles contract, bringing the head down and shoulders up, while the back muscles draw the spine into a curve. This, in turn, pushes the pelvis forward and pulls the genitals up, slumping the body into a classic fetal position" (Cyphert).

In trying to resist this position, the body will begin to shake in places such as the legs and hands. Several other things happen besides this. Muscles in the body contract causing them to be tense and ready to attack. Second, "blood vessels in the extremities constrict" (Cyphert). This can leave a person with the feeling of cold fingers, toes, nose, and ears. Constricted blood vessels also gives the body extra blood flow to the vital organs.

In addition, those experiencing stage fright will have an increase in blood pressure, which supplies the body with more nutrients and oxygen in response to the "fight or flight" instincts. This, in return, causes the body to overheat and sweat. Breathing will increase so that the body can obtain the desired amount of oxygen for the muscles and organs. Pupils will dilate giving someone the inability to view any notes they have in close proximity, however, long range vision is improved making the speaker more aware of their audience's facial expressions and non verbal cues in response to the speaker's performance. Lastly, the digestive system shuts down to prepare for producing energy for an immediate emergency response. This can leave the body with the effects of dry mouth, nausea, or butterflies (Cyphert).

Solutions

One possible solution to performance anxiety could be that of reducing the significance of the other person(s). While experiencing performance anxiety, we often invest the others with imagined power, especially in their ability to affect us through their evaluation of our performance. Ways to reduce this imagined power is to increase the sense of one’s own power, to perceive the vulnerability of others and to accept oneself. Another possible solution to performance anxiety would be to eliminate the imagination of negative possibilities. A negative outcome is always possible, but that does not justify worrying about it before it occurs. Focusing one’s attention on the present, rather than the future, is much more productive. A way to do this is monitoring our own performance. A third solution to performance anxiety is holding the performance in perspective by seeing its outcome as insignificant in relation to the totality of one’s life. By realizing that nothing catastrophic is likely to occur, the need to avoid failure may decrease and switch to a more positive goal. An example of a positive goal would be to provide others with pleasure. Furthermore, it is helpful to focus on the process, the moment-to-moment experience, rather than the results of a performance. Additionally, it is important to concentrate on the enjoyable aspect of the process. The stage fear in children can be cured by the following points:

give more confidence by showing them the items

don't make them panic

show them how others are performing it

There are many ideas on how to improve the effects of stage fright. One would be as simple as being prepared. According to Lybi Ma with Psychology Today, “Being prepared is your first line of attack. You should be anxious if you haven’t done your homework” (Ma). Dr. Dale Cyphert gives many other types of solutions on how to relieve anxiety. First, he recommends going for a brisk walk, doing jumping jacks, or performing any other brisk movements to get the energy and excitement out of one's system. After that, he suggests doing moderate stretching to try and calm and relax the muscles to release tension. Second, he suggests taking deep breaths. Cyphert states that "as you force yourself to take a deep breath, the oxygen/carbon dioxide balance is restored, and the body interprets the big sigh as an "all clear" signal" (Cyphert). This will cause the body to slow down and decrease stress levels. Third, he recommends practicing any movements that one is aware of when nervous. Anything one can do to make their body more aware of these nervous tendencies the less likely they will be to repeat them when on the spot (Cyphert).

One ongoing debate on how to treat stage fright is the use of beta blockers. Beta Blockers are a type of drug used to decrease the effects of stage fright. “Beta blockers fit chemically into beta receptors present in the heart, lungs, arteries, brain, and uterus” (Bryce). This, in return, diminishes the effects on the sympathetic nervous system by blocking out adrenaline canceling out the effects of the "fight or flight" symptoms. According to one study, "beta blockade significantly inhibited an increase in heart rate when performance was before an audience" (Klaus). The study used two groups of musicians: one group was given a placebo, and the other a beta blocker. Beta blockers work best in the time window of one to two hours after consumption. According to Suzanne Bryce at Vanderbilt University, “The FDA has never approved the usage of beta blockers for stage anxiety or fright” (Bryce). The FDA's hesitancy in approving the use of beta blockers has to do with the many side effects associated with their use, such as hallucinations, dizziness, nightmares, and drowsiness. Beta blockers should always be prescribed by a licensed physician (Bryce).

Many singers often alleviate stage fright by performing barefoot.

A house concert can be a useful step for curing a musician's performance anxiety.:

Footnotes

Other sources

"Beyond shyness and stage fright: Social anxiety disorder." Harvard Mental Health Letter 20.4 (2003): 1-4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 4 Apr. 2010.

http://web.ebscohost.com.mctproxy.mnpals.net/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid;=5&sid;=5b0ea6f7-7da7-41c9-86e4-dee3dd3a504a%40sessionmgr14

Bryce, Suzanne. "Beta Blockers as Treatment for Stage Fright" Health Psychology Home Page. Vanderbilt University. Web. 8 April 2010

http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/BetaBlockers.htm

Cyphert, Dale. Managing Stage Fright. 2005

http://www.cba.uni.edu/buscomm/Presentations/stagefright.html

Ma, Lybi. Psychology Today. "Fighting Stage Fright". Sussex Publishers. 6 December 2005. Web. 24 March 2010.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200512/fighting-stage-fright

Neftel, Klaus A. "Stage Fright in Musicians: A Model Illustrating the Effect of Beta Blockers". Elsevier Science Publishing Co. November 1982. Web. 4 April 2010.

http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/reprint/44/5/461.pdf

Category:Anxiety disorders