Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success

by Brad Stulberg

Ecological psychology suggests that the objects that surround us are not static; rather, they influence and invite specific behaviors. Experiments show that the mere sight of an object elicits brain activity associated with particular actions. For example, when we see an image of a chair, the parts of our brain responsible for coordinating the act of sitting (i.e., motor programs) start firing, even if we haven’t physically moved at all. It’s as if the chair is speaking to us, saying, “Hey, come have a seat,” and our brains are listening and responding accordingly. This phenomenon helps explain why athletes in action sports, like football, often report that they don’t “think” about which direction to run; the linear process of reasoning would take far too long. Rather, when a gap opens up on the football field it literally invites players, on a level far deeper than what they experience in their consciousness, to run through it.