Why we choke — or shine — when it matters most

Athletes call it choking; musicians and surgeons know the feeling too. A new perspective paper from the German Sport University Cologne, published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, argues that pressure does not simply steal our attention — it changes how complex our information processing becomes, and that single shift can explain both collapse and brilliance under pressure. The framework now needs testing in the real world, but it points training in a kinder direction: instead of one-size-fits-all advice, match the mental strategy to the moment.