![\"Sam](\"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/10\/SamSianis-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>All of these moments have fed the mythology of Cubs torment\u2014moments of postseason failure that linger and leave fans shaking their heads and asking what happened. Some attribute this to a Bill Goat Tavern owner Billy Sianis, who hexed the team for kicking him and his billy goat out of Wrigley Field during the 1945 World Series.<\/p>\n
So, billy goat curses aside, what did happen? Can science tell the team anything about avoiding the mistakes, fumbles, and chokes that have plagued the club in the postseason for near a century?<\/p>\n
Neuroscientists that study the psychology of choking and brain activity during competitive play do offer some answers for plagued ball teams. The advice actually sounds like a pep talk from a high school coach calming the nerves of his team before a state championship.<\/p>\n
It is all about framing, according to Vikram Chib, who studies the psychology of competition at John Hopkins University School of Medicine. He said the Cubs need to focus on playing well over an entire series rather than focusing on the pressure of one play or one game.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>Chib researches the science of choking\u2014a stress response that impairs, judgment, muscles and confidence. He has proved that the response exists\u2014and how neurological responses, money, and pressure affect performance. He is interested in how people are impacted by what he calls \u201cincentives,\u201d which could be money (financial incentive) or crowds (social incentive).<\/p>\n Chib is picking up conversation started by psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, who argues that people are motivated more by the fear of losing than by the hope of gaining anything. To use a Kahneman lens, the Cubs lose in the playoffs because the stakes are higher and choking effect ripples through their play. So it\u2019s not because of the billy goat curse.<\/p>\n Last year, Chib organized a study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience<\/a>, on individuals playing a complicated video game. After learning how to play, the participants were given $100 and placed inside an MRI machine. Before the game, they were told that they were either going to win or lose some amount of money, and Chib monitored the participants’ brain activity while they played.<\/p>\n An active ventral striatum\u2014the \u2018reward center\u2019 of the brain\u2014can signify a heightened ability to perform. Chib found that activity in this part of the brain decreased as the stakes were increased.<\/p>\n People perform better when more money is on the line \u201conly up to a point,\u201d Chib said. Beyond this point the \u201clarger incentive\u201d will only decrease performance, \u201ca phenomenon known as \u2018choking,\u2019\u201d he wrote in the journal article.<\/p>\n No doubt, the Cubs have more financial incentive to win in the playoffs than any average person would know what to do with, but the more relevant aspect of Chib\u2019s research is what he calls the social incentive.<\/p>\n There is an idea in social neuroscience called the \u2018theory of mind,\u2019 which is when a performer is inferring the state of mind of the audience. That is: the performer is thinking about the audience thinking about them performing (cue minor brain explosion).<\/p>\n Got that? Think about it this way. When Jake Arrieta first took the mound at the beginning of his dominating 4-0 win over the Pirates to advance to the National League Division Series, he was thinking about the crowd. (This is true, the Cubs pitcher tweeted out<\/a> to his fans, \u201cBring out all the reinforcements. I need it LOUD.\u201d)<\/p>\n David. Bring out all the reinforcements. I need it LOUD. https:\/\/t.co\/vxhbjNVqBm<\/a><\/p>\n — Jake Arrieta (@JArrieta34) October 5, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n