Ted Audio Collective.

Are you curious about the hidden side of everything that I have the podcast for you?

I'm Stephen Dubner, host of Freakonomics Radio.

Every week we hear from some of the world's most fascinating scholars and thinkers

as we tackle a variety of topics like why the best employees can make the worst bosses,

why the banana is the most interesting fruit in the world,

and why we dread air travel even though it's a miracle.

Go ahead, listen to Freakonomics Radio wherever you get your podcast.

Hey everyone, it's Adam Gran.

Welcome back to Rethinking, my podcast on the Science of What Makes Us Tick.

I'm an organizational psychologist and I'm taking you inside the minds of fascinating people

to explore new thoughts and new ways of thinking.

Think about the times when you've been in a high stakes, high pressure situation.

You're on stage to give a big talk, where the ball is in your hands with a game on the line.

People are watching your every move.

You've done what you can to prepare, and then suddenly your mind goes blank,

your hand stop working, you take the wrong step, you've just choked.

My guest today is the world's leading expert on the psychology of choking.

Cian Bailock is a cognitive scientist who studies how we perform under pressure,

and her scholarly work applies to her own career too.

Since 2017, Cian has served as the president of Barnard College at Columbia University.

And this year, she becomes the president of Dartmouth.

...