ABSTRACT
Originally used to describe conditions and disorders connected with the NERVOUS SYSTEM, the noun ‘‘nervousness’’ was later used to capture any set of symptoms with emotional rather than organic sources. Nervousness has tended to slip out of popular usage, being replaced by STRESS (an all-purpose term to describe almost any form of discomfort), ANXIETY (as in anxiety attack) or hyper (agitated or excited), as well as other imprecise but commonplace expressions, such as highly strung (irritable or touchy) and panicky (usually meaning liable to sudden, uncontrollable apprehension). The term has evolved from the Latin nervus and the Greek neuron (a word now used for the cell that constitutes the basic unit of the nervous system). In sport and exercise, as in other areas of social life, nervousness
is actually a useful and relevant concept describing a proneness to agitation or alarm when confronted by an intimidating task. While the adjective ‘‘nervous’’ is typically reserved for persons with a propensity to become tense as they approach such tasks, to CHOKE as they face victory, or even those who deliberately try to become nervous before COMPETITION, it can affect practically anyone who is alarmed at a daunting prospect. Yet, practice often eliminates it. In their discussion of AUTOMATICITY, John Bargh and Tanya Chartrand observe how different forms of nervousness supersede each other as automatic processes take effect: ‘‘One sees the teenager go from being an overwhelmed tangle of nerves at the first attempts to drive a car to soon being able to do so while conversing, tuning the radio, and getting nervous instead over that evening’s date.’’ In this example, competence, or SKILL ACQUISITION, gradually
removes nervousness. There are shorter-term methods of alleviating nervousness. Pornratshanee Weerapong et al. report on ‘‘a reduced pre-participation anxiety (nervousnessness) after massage,’’ possibly, they anticipate, as a result of the drop in saliva cortisol levels, which is an indirect measure of parasympathetic activity (saliva cortisol is known as the ‘‘stress hormone’’). Research by Sarah Rausch et al. concluded that group MEDITATION and progressive muscle RELAXATION decreased nervousness. Various studies, including that of Claire Calmels et al., have revealed the ameliorative impact of IMAGERY. Most surprisingly, Daniel Bailis’s study indicated that SELF-HANDICAPPING can relieve the nervousness induced by the knowledge that one’s performance is seen and evaluated by others.
