Big wave surfing has become more visible the past few years thanks to documentaries like 100 Foot Wave and Edge of the Earth. And while surfing is a popular pastime for many around the globe, only a fraction of this community participates in the big wave scene because of its consequential nature. In 2018 my colleagues and I set out to determine what differentiates these athletes from their non-big wave counterparts. The results of our study indicate that it’s not just guts and a “send it” attitude, but a different way of processing and evaluating threat that contributes to their success.
Using a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and psychophysiological interaction (PPI), we looked at how different brain regions and networks were activated in response to threatening and/or disturbing images. Participants also filled out a series of questionnaires to assess the subjective responses to the stimuli presented.
Results:
Both the big wave surfers and non-big wave surfers showed activation in areas responsible for threat processing and evaluation, as well as motor regions of the brain. Thus, it was clear that both groups activated a readying response in the body.
Interestingly, both groups also showed a lack of amygdala response to the images presented. The amygdala is the brain’s hub for fear and threat processing, so the fact that neither group showed activation in this region was unexpected and surprising. However, this finding was is in line with the subjective data, as fear was the emotion that was least experienced by participants according to the questionnaire responses. These results suggest that 1) stimuli that typically evokes a strong reaction of fear and/or discomfort in the majority of the population was viewed as less threatening by both groups, and 2) were overall less reactive that standard (read: non-surfers) populations.
The activation patterns in the big wave surfers showed more efficient evaluation and response processes to threat, as well as more decisively responses to threat.
Activation in big wave surfers visual cortex may also indicate a greater awareness of threat in the environment, compared to non-big wave surfers.
Non big wave surfers showed great activation of the HPA axis, a brain network that assists with stress response and stress management. These areas are also associated with “escape behaviors.” This may indicate that while big wave surfers brains are working to evaluate and respond to threat to plan escape strategies, non-big wave surfers brains are more focused on actually enacting these strategies.
Non big wave surfers also showed activation of brain networks that aid in emotion regulation in response to threat. This finding was not present in the big wave surf group.
Implications: What can we learn and apply?
The implications of this study may vary depending on the questions you ask and the beliefs you hold. For instance, do these findings suggest that big wave surfers have something that non-big wave surfers and the general population do not? Perhaps. But the better question might be whether this type of brain processing ability something that big wave surfers were born with, or something that was molded and shaped over time? It’s hard to say for certain. Cue the old nature vs. nurture debate.
However, we do know that the brain is plastic, and that there are variety of psychological tools that can support decision making under stress and enhance motor learning. Personally, I believe that performance is a behavior and that even with all the right tools, internal wirings, and experience, it comes down to execution. This is not meant to diminish or reduce the incredible feats and capabilities that these athletes have, but meant to highlight the tremendous amount of physical and mental training that these individuals endure to perform at an elite level time and time again.
At the end of the day it, it’s likely a combination of both built in traits and learned skills. Although this exploratory study does not provide any insight on the particular strategies, environments, or factors that contributed to these differences, imagery, mental rubrics, performance routines, mindfulness, and attention training are just a handful of tools that can be used to sharpen psychological skills and contribute to higher levels of performance.
To understand what contributes to the observed brain activation patterns in big wave surfers requires further study. For now, I suggest you watch this rad video and decide for yourself: is it talent alone, training, environmental factors (e.g., older brother/sister telling them “I bet you can’t”), a combination, or something else that contributes to these differences?
I’ll report back with my own thoughts on this question in the next newsletter. If you’d like to read the full article in the meantime, check it out here.