Stress and Performance: The Yerkes-Dodson Law and Individual Differences

The Inverted-U Relationship

The Yerkes-Dodson law (1908) describes an inverted-U curve: performance improves with arousal up to an optimal point, then declines.

Modulating Factors

Factor	Effect on Optimal Arousal
Task complexity	Simple tasks tolerate higher arousal; complex tasks need lower.
Skill level	Experts perform better under pressure (automatized skills).
Personality	Trait anxiety, neuroticism lower optimal point; hardiness raises it.
Stress type	Eustress (challenge) vs. distress (threat) — appraisal matters.
Duration	Acute stress can enhance; chronic stress impairs (allostatic load).

Practical Implications

• Match challenge to skill (flow state).
• Train under simulated pressure (stress inoculation).
• Recovery rituals (breathing, microbreaks) to reset arousal.
• Leaders: create psychological safety, not fear-based cultures.

Conclusion

"People perform better under stress" is an oversimplification. The relationship is curvilinear, context-dependent, and highly individual.