A new research study has revealed which stages of the brain are most prone for stage fright.
Researchers from the University of Warwick in the UK, have found that people who have suffered stage fright have lower levels of brain activity, higher levels of anxiety and poorer mental health.
These changes were associated with lower levels.
Dr Sarah Atherton, from the School of Psychology at Warwick, said: “In our study we found that those who suffered stage-caring as a child have lower brain activity in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex.”
This suggests that they experience more stage fright and less coping skills.
“These changes in brain activity could be associated with reduced capacity to regulate emotions and behaviours.”
She said stage fright was associated with “higher levels of distress” and “higher rates of suicide attempts”.
The researchers found that while stage fright has long been recognised as a mental disorder, the new findings add to evidence that it can be a risk factor for other disorders.
Dr Athertons research found that there were two stages of stage fright, stage 1 and stage 2.
These stages can be triggered by fear of a situation, a fear of something bad happening or a fear that people are going to kill themselves.
Dr Richard Pemberton, an associate professor in psychology at the University at Buffalo, New York, said that this new research is exciting.
“It’s one of the first studies to actually show how stage fright is associated with changes in neurocognitive functioning,” he said.
“The fact that the stage fright phase is linked with lower brain activation, and that the brain is more sensitive to this kind of experience, is a good example of how our experience of anxiety is related to our experience with fear.”
The study is published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
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