Understanding the Yips and Brain Perception

The yips, often experienced in golf as anxiety before a shot, are triggered by behaviors that the brain associates with survival. The brain, particularly the old brain, perceives the yips as a way to survive a threatening situation, similar to being chased by a predator. The brain reinforces the yips as a survival mechanism, leading to difficulty in overcoming this detrimental habit. The brain does not differentiate between a challenging shot and a life-threatening situation, hence the intense reinforcement of the yips despite knowing its negative impact.