Some psychologists may argue that short-term stress helps to boost performance - but new research may prove otherwise

Some psychologists believe low-grade stress can help to boost performance levels, giving an adrenaline rush that can motivate a person to push harder in a performance. However, new research and information may put this myth to rest. Researchers at the Institute of HeartMath®, in Boulder Creek, California are looking at how well students perform when they're feeling emotionally prepared, verses feeling anxious when it comes to standardized testing.

It not just psychologist that believe a little stress can push us to perform better. How many of us know someone that brags, "I do my best when I'm on a deadline." But what about the days when stress seems to jam up your brain? Can you remember a day like this — your meeting is running late. You bolt out of the meeting to grab a report off your desk. It's not there. You're five minutes late leaving from work to pick up your son. You're going to be late for his dental appointment. Where's the report? You left it right there, you rifle through the papers, knock over a cup of coffee. It pours over your computer keyboard. Another 5 minutes goes by looking for the report, ripping your desk apart and cleaning the spilled coffee. Then it dawns on you. Oh, I left the report in the car so I wouldn't forget it. Was it the stress that caused you to forget that you left the report in the car in the first place?

Even rats have stress -
Dr. David Diamond, a neuroscientist working with the University of South Florida, devised a simple experiment to demonstrate how stress plays into memory. First, a rat is introduced to a water maze and after several tries learns his way through the maze to the safety platform. Then, a stress factor is introduced. In this case the rat is allowed to see a cat in close proximity. The next time the rat tried to work through the maze he's at a loss and can't find the safety platform. The emotion of stress overrides his memory of the maze.

Unsolved Mysteries -
Similarly, with the hurried office worker who forgot she left the report in the car or the student that is required to take a test, feelings of anxiety and stress can block the ability to remember what you already know. Dr. Rollin Mc Craty, Director of Research for the Institute of HeartMath says, "Anxiety creates a type of 'noise' in the brain that disrupts our ability to comprehend and reason. For students this means their ability to accurately answer questions that require thinking or problem solving is greatly impaired. The student may know the answers to the test questions. They've studied and prepared for weeks, but when faced with the pressure of the actual test and the fear of failing, the memory of what they learned becomes locked up and they can't recall the information. The intensity of the anxiety is often related to what is at stake."

Dr. Mc Craty explains that this phenomenon is called 'cortical inhibition' and not really a mystery at all. "The heart can help neutralize the stress that causes our brain to jam under pressure. The heart puts out a powerful rhythmic signal that the brain responds to. As we experience emotional reactions like anger, frustration, anxiety and insecurity, heart rhythms become incoherent or more jagged, which interferes with the two-way communication between the heart and brain. When this communication is compromised it affects important aspects of cognitive function. Our reaction speeds are slower, our reasoning and decision making skills are hindered, and our ability to access previously learned information is impaired."

Dr. Mc Craty goes on to say, "When we experience heart-felt emotions like love, care, appreciation and compassion, the heart produces coherent or smooth rhythms that enhance communication between the heart and brain. Helping us to think clearer and recall information."

The Institute of HeartMath developed a service called "Test Edge™" that's designed to help students neutralize stress so they can get past the anxiety that could have otherwise prevented them from passing state required testing. "Test Edge" is a supplemental program designed to accompany academic practices that help prepare students for testing. What makes "Test Edge" unique is that it focuses on teaching students how to manage emotions like anxiety. In one case study done in a public school in Minneapolis, the number of students who passed the math test after HeartMath training was 52% higher than the district average. In reading, the passing rate was 77% higher than the district average among the HeartMath group.

Putting HeartMath to the Test -
A successful example of this approach — an independent study conducted by Minneapolis Public Schools curriculum specialist Stephanie Thurik and clinical psychologist Pam Aasen. The study looks at how academic performance can be enhanced by managing emotions and learning to maintain healthier heart rhythms. The Minneapolis Public School District implemented a three-week HeartMath program with a group of twenty high school seniors who needed to pass the state required Basic Standards Tests in Reading and Math in order to graduate.

Many of the students were worried about passing the tests, particularly in cases where they had already failed. Dr. Aasen says, "The students had the knowledge, but were unable to perform on the test because of anxiety and stress." The overwhelming feeling of stress, even when extremely well-prepared academically, caused students to feel anxious and feel that they would be unable to perform effectively. HeartMath's program was brought in to help ease the grip of test-taking anxiety and arm the students with the confidence needed to feel prepared mentally and emotionally, as well as academically, for the state tests.

During the three-week period, students focused on the standard academic portion of the program and learned HeartMath techniques for managing stress and anxiety. Students regularly practiced two of the HeartMath techniques, Freeze-Frame® and Heart-Lock-In®. These techniques helped the students' self-generate coherent heart rhythms, which are associated with improved emotional balance, mental clarity and improved cognitive performance.

Of the 20 students involved in this program 65% passed one or both of the tests. Of those students taking the Math test 64% passed, while 55% passed in Reading. These rates were substantially above the district average for seniors re-taking these tests. Stephanie Thurik, says, "The students made gains that were significant, and represent one to two years' growth in reading or math with only one month of preparation. This clearly shows that in teaching students how to use HeartMath tools they were able to reduce test-taking anxiety and more accurately 'show us what they know.'"

Study investigators noted that the students' average gain in reading scores was nearly double the improvement that the average student could expect to achieve over one year's time with standard preparation. The increase in students' math scores was even more notable due to the fact that there hasn't been a substantial improvement in average performance on the math test district-wide for the last three years.

The school plans to initiate another study with a larger group to determine district-wide effects of HeartMath programs on test-taking performance. Similar programs have also been implemented in the corporate environment with dozens of companies like Motorola, Cisco Systems and Boeing and with equally impressive results. For more information on "Test Edge" go to www.heartmath.org or call (800) 450-9111.

For Information
Telephone: (02) 9412 2500 (Australia)
Telephone: +61 2 9412 2500 (International)
E-Mail: info@macquarieinstitute.com