We’ve all been there: staring at an exam that we know we studied for. We should be prepared, right? After going over the materials for hours on end, you would think that your brain would be stocked with enough information to get through the test as quickly and efficiently as possible. But, no. You gaze at the same question for five minutes and wonder why you can’t remember anything you studied. Why does this happen at the worst of times?
Scientifically speaking, trying to take an exam when you’re stressed is going against your body’s nature. When we get stressed, our adrenal glands release a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol increases the body’s production of glucose, which gives us the energy to fuel the body’s “fight or flight” response. Of course, we don’t always need to choose to fight or flee in a stressful situation; sometimes we just need a warm drink and some music. But, nonetheless, our body still needs the occasional cortisol boost.
You may be asking why I had to explain the scientific explanation of stress hormones before telling you why your brain fails you, saying, “Get to the point, Abri!” Well, cortisol also happens to be a memory blocker! Research has shown that increased levels of cortisol can cause poor cognitive function in areas like attention, learning, thinking, and, of course, memory. In fact, a paper published by Sami Ouanes and Julius Popp in 2019 concluded that prolonged cortisol spikes can increase the risk of getting dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
When I first heard of this odd physiology fact, I thought it was another attempt from my teachers to get me to slow down and stop overworking myself. Why would my brain actively stop me from remembering stuff when that’s all I was doing with it for hours? Then I looked at my experiences and everything made sense: I had higher success rates going into stressful situations such as large competitions or difficult exams when I started them as carefree as possible. Pretending that stress doesn’t affect you is much more effective than you may think.
The next time you encounter a mental block, don’t sit there and blame your brain; it’s just doing its job. Its goal is to help you calm down. Think about it! If you’re too stressed out from cramming and facing a difficult exam, your body will block the information that you’re actively trying to retrieve. Although the phrase “fake it ‘till you make it” shouldn’t be applied in every situation, pretending you’re not stressed can be helpful. Your brain often interprets your outward emotional expression as truth. So, smile a little, relax your shoulders, and try again. Your brain shouldn’t fail you this time.
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