Sport Psychology

How Do Elite Athletes and Performers Keep Their Cool?

Edson Filho talks about what we can learn from how high performers deal with stress and perfectionism

From the outside, elite athletes and other top performers appear to achieve their goals effortlessly and with confidence. But underneath their unflappable exteriors, they may actually be faced with many of the same challenges as the rest of us, such as perfectionism, burnout, or exhaustion. To reach the pinnacle of their careers, these high achievers must learn how to manage stress and maintain their calm.

For this webinar in the Conversations with the Dean series, associate professor Edson Filho joined BU Wheelock Dean David Chard for a discussion about how elite athletes and other top performers maintain their composure in high-stakes environments. Filho is the director of the Performance Recovery & Optimization (PRO) Lab at BU Wheelock, where he directs research on how people and teams reach and maintain their peak performance and well-being.

Highlights from the Conversation

Fighting mental health stigma

If we don’t talk about difficult topics—whether it’s self-doubt, mental health, [or] perfectionism, there is no way to advance the conversation. When these high-profile athletes humanize the conversation, more people can talk about it. It shows how one person can change a system.

Edson Filho

The dangers of perfectionism

One of the things that people struggle with is the idea that you’re going to have to be perfect, that you’re always going to perform at the top. The idea of the superhero is very problematic. That leads to burnout.

Edson Filho

The transformative power of participating in a sport

Very, very few athletes are going to make it to the Olympics, but they’re going to learn about confidence, they’re going to learn about goal setting, they’re going to learn about leadership and cohesion. And the World Cup final is one of the most watched events in the world. The Olympics is one of the most watched events in the world. I believe in sport so much, its ability to transform people. Nearly every child in the world is going to have some experience with sport. There is this impact on applied human development and life skills.

Edson Filho

Conversations with the Dean are a series of webinars hosted by Dean Chard that explore some of the most pressing topics in education. Learn more about Conversations with the Dean.