Social Facilitation

       Senior Night.  The is excitement in the air.  The seniors swim at Kennedy for the last time in their lives.  I stand watching them, with nothing but respect for their hard work.  It takes commitment to swim in high school.  All of the early mornings and late nights are about to pay off.  Seniors hop in the pool for their first event and record a lifetime best.  It happens every year. 

       As a junior, and last year as a sophomore, I took that same approach.  I acted as if I would never swim at Kennedy again.  I was energetic and loud, cheering my teammates on.  I recorded three lifetime best swims.  My sophomore year, I recorded two lifetime best swims.  It really helped me get into the swim meet. 

       There is something about never getting another chance and the roar of the crowd that helps people do their best.  It’s called social facilitation.  It is defined as improving ones performance based on the actions and presence of others.  Performers have a hard time doing their best when nobody is watching.  Take show choir for instance.  You can sit in on a practice, and nobody will do facials.  The dance moves might look sloppy and the singing is flat.  As soon as a group of people comes in, the faces go on, moves become crisp, and singing is full of energy.  It is the motivation to do well. 

       How can you trick your brain into performing well without an active audience?  I did a lot of research on this and came up with two answers.  One is fear.  If you inspire people by inferring if they don’t perform full out, they will never achieve greatness.  People get scared of not achieving their goals and start working.  This tactic is used a lot in sports.  The second way is through peer pressure.  It is social facilitation within the group.  If you are in an individual sport like swimming, imagine your competitor on the team winning over you.  If you are in a group sport like show choir, think of how not singing well now will affect others around you.  Nobody wants to mess up while their peers are watching. 

       Imagination can be a powerful thing in performance.  Mind over body, or at least to a certain point.  Focus on performing well in practice so when you get to a meet, the extra facilitation doesn’t just make you good, it makes you great.   

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