| A. What happens when we sit for an exam? B. It is like a cup overflowing (溢出) with water. C. So, why do some students perform better under stress? D. That's the difference between a good mark and a bad mark. E. Dopamine is a chemical in our brain that sends information to our body. F. Is there anything that can help change the speed of dopamine getting into our body? |
What is the most stressful thing in school? It is probably exams. Exams can put us under a lot of pressure. But some students do well under pressure, while others feel terrible.
It all comes down to dopamine (多巴胺). It has many important roles: influencing memory, attention and how we learn. Our brains work best when there is an even balance (平衡) of dopamine — not too much or too little.
The brain controls dopamine in two ways. It either takes out dopamine quickly, or gradually. Exam success can be related to how fast dopamine goes back to an even balance.
If you become stressed, your brain will start to overload (超负荷) on dopamine.
The quicker you are able to go back to an even balance of dopamine, the quicker you can fix yourself, helping you perform better on a test.
Scientists found that,during a test, people who slowly got back to an even balance of dopamine scored 8 percent lower. But don't fear, there is some good news. The study also found that the more practice you get, the less stressed you'll be. So, it turns out that practice really does make perfect.
