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You read everything you could find about the company, you scrutinized its website like you were that Indian lab technician guy on CSI, you looked up the interviewer on linkedin and even researched ‘power colors’ in selecting the right suit. You did your research.

While waiting to be interviewed your palms begin to sweat. No big deal, you just pat the handshake hand dry on your sleeve. But then your heart starts to beat a bit faster, the butterflies begin aflutter… you’re called in. You go through the introductions and the questions start. He looks on intently as you answer… What the hell are you talking about?! Your mind goes blank, you’re spewing long winded, empty answers. You’re worse than Sarah Palin being asked to repeat her address… You know this. You’ve studied this. But at this moment, you choke. You know the feeling, you’ve lost. You pussy.

Feeling defeated, you get into your car going through the interview in your mind. All of a sudden you have all the answers. Thoughtful, well-structured sentences punctuated with the right emphasis and quite nicely articulated. Why didn’t you say this 10 minutes ago?!?!

I recently read an article 7 reasons Why MANY smart people have trouble communicating their ideas by @RajSetty which I thought was very insightful. “I have this issue sometimes”, I thought… but then the haunting voice of my kindergarten teacher came booming through “you’re not smart! You shouldn’t be here! You’re 11!”

Having been that aforementioned pussy, I always wanted to better understand why that situation might have been. Is it because of those reasons mentioned by @RajSetty? Recent cognitive research might suggest an 8th reason. A potential explanation why smart people, creative people, kids in math class, you in the interview and I in kindergarten at 11 might have trouble communicating. Cavemen!

More specifically the caveman brain. Your great, great, (a few more greats) caveman granduncle, let’s call him Lester – you see although Lester lived a carefree life, running through the daffodils, frolicking in the natural ponds and drawing cool elephants on the wall, he existed in a very dangerous environment. A very many of his ancestors were eaten by dinosaurs while frolicking. Lester needed a defense system and so evolution provided him with the Amygdala.

The Amygdala is a tiny, thousand(s) year old structure in the unconscious region of the brain responsible for processing emotions and tied to the fear response. If a threat is perceived, the amygdala can literally hijack conscious thought and compel to action – the primitive fight or flight reaction. It got Lester running.

Related Story: How Neuromarketing Saved My Masculinity

Recent brain research probing the cause of math anxiety in students has provided some interesting findings that might relate to why we become pussies in the interview.

When first taking in a problem, a student processes information through the amygdala, the brain’s emotional center, which then prioritizes information going to the prefrontal cortex, the part responsible for the brain’s working memory and critical thinking. During stress, there is more activity in the amygdala than the prefrontal cortex; even as minor a stressor as seeing a frowning face before answering a question can decrease a student’s ability to remember and respond accurately.

According to Dr. Judy Willis, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based neurologist:

Anxiety can literally cut off the working memory needed to learn and solve problems

Daniel Ansari, principal investigator for the Numerical Cognition Laboratory at the University of Western Ontario notes:

It’s very much as though individuals with math anxiety use up the brainpower they need for the problem

The stress response to math by these students is quite likely the same stress response you and I experience. Anxiety leads to a subconscious ‘fear response’ by the Amygdala, which hijacks rational thought, over-burdens working memory and leads to Palin like responses.

So what’s the quick fix. I don’t know if there is one. But understanding this potential for an anxiety response, preparing with mental rehearsal and self-talk can serve to add another level of preparation. Learning relaxation techniques, arousal control and stress management might get you that much further.

OR simply – stop being a pussy. You pussy!

UPDATE:

Techniques used by the Navy Seals to manage anxiety and control fear, that you can take advantage of: Quiet the Amygdala – Control Your Fear Response

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This article was written by Marc Narine.
Marc works with companies to elevate marketing performance and profitability by going beyond the feature/benefit approach to instead assessing the consumer’s emotional and cultural imprints and subconscious attachments to a product. He is the primary author at 3Brain Marketing.