Why Emotions Can be Counter Productive

Darwin’s theory of emotional response is at odds with what happens in tennis matches.

Emotions are often counterproductive in tennis. Most counterproductive emotional responses during tennis matches are driven by subconscious fears of failure and urges to escape the stress of competition.

Charles Darwin would have it that emotional responses generally evolve because they, in some way, enhance prospects for species survival. In other words, they are supposed to be helpful. Unfortunately, in tennis matches the opposite is usually the case.

Our nervous systems were not designed to exert fine motor control for long periods of time under high stress. Certain normal emotional responses, in particular those involving escape from prolonged and excessive anxiety, frequently make players lose to opponents who are physically and technically inferior.

By its very nature, tennis is an emotional game. Of course it may not look it from the outside, but as noted in the first article, tennis is constructed to be a one-on-one, non-contact fistfight.

Tennis is inherently antagonistic since players use their tennis tools to break down their opponents. It is a battle of wills, where players compete for physical and mental dominance, where threat and intimidation play significant roles in victory, and…