Why Do People Get ‘Stage Fright’ in Public?

Imagine you're about to give a speech in front of your whole class. Your heart starts beating fast, and you can't think straight, that's stage fright! It happens because your brain thinks you're in danger, even if it's just speaking in public. When you feel nervous, your body gets ready for a fight or flight response, like when you’re scared of something really big.

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Examples

  1. A kid gets so nervous before giving a presentation that he forgets his whole speech.
  2. A musician drops the mic in front of a full concert because he's too scared.
  3. A student’s voice shakes when she has to answer a question in front of her class.

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Categories: Psychology · anxiety· public speaking· performance anxiety · Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.