Nerve: Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Taylor Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2011

Nerves make us bomb job interviews, first dates, and SATs. With a presentation looming at work, fear robs us of sleep for days. It paralyzes seasoned concert musicians and freezes rookie cops in tight situations. And yet not everyone cracks. Soldiers keep their heads in combat; firemen rush into burning buildings; unflappable trauma doctors juggle patient after patient. It's not that these people feel no fear; often, in fact, they're riddled with it.

In Nerve, Taylor Clark draws upon cutting-edge science and painstaking reporting to explore the very heart of panic and poise. Using a wide range of case studies, Clark overturns the popular myths about anxiety and fear to explain why some people thrive under pressure, while others falter-and how we can go forward with steadier nerves and increased confidence.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Why, in a world where we have created secure buffers against our worst fears, are so many of us so anxious? And why do some people exhibit nerves of steel under stressful and fearful conditions while others wilt? Clark (Starbucked) explores these questions by briefly examining the neuroscience of fear, and then collecting numerous stories of individuals who have remained calm against all odds in fearful life-and-death situations. For example, in 1991, principal Daniel Stockwell faced down a rifle barrel as he negotiated with a high school student holding him hostage. Although he was later praised for his calm, Stockwell admitted that he worked with his fear, rather than banishing it, in order to face the situation. Clark draws out of these tales a dozen quick tips for retaining your nerve in the face of stress, such as learning to accept uncertainty, breathing, and opening up to fear unconditionally. Unfortunately his meandering and simplistic approach offers neither new insights into the nature of anxiety nor any new perspectives on handling it. (Mar.) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Clark, author of Starbucked (2007), maintains his light, frequently humorous tone in this (mostly) serious look at the psychology of stress. Drawing on various forms of research, and numerous real-life stories, the author explores the reasons why we feel stress, our responses to it, and what we can do to deal with it constructively. Clark takes us through the history of stress research, from early breakthroughs (Walter Cannon�s 1915 elucidation of the fight-or-flight response) to experimental research (�most of what we know about the science of fear comes from tormenting rats,� Clark wryly observes) to today�s cutting-edge explorations of the workings of the human brain. The subjects of his real-life stories of dealing with stress under intense pressure range from Russian sub commanders to game-show contestants to tsunami survivors to pro athletes to musicians. The author makes some shrewd observations (for example, that Cannon�s fight-or-flight response leaves out a third F: freeze), and, unlike many authors of popular-science books, he really knows how to write, too: the book is informative, engaging, and, in quite a few places, funny. --David Pitt

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (March 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316042897
• ASIN: B007HW0O3W
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Storytelling of Science March 14, 2011

By Heidi Andrew

Format:Hardcover

How does a school principal stare down the barrel of a rifle with no fear, or Laurence Olivier deliver a soliloquy without stage fright? The answer is, they don't. A scientific subject is discussed with storytelling skills in the book, Nerve, subtitled, Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool.

Taylor Clark is entertaining and humorous as he writes about fear, anxiety, and stress, and how the seemingly fearless actually handle fear with heroism. Clark's thesis, embracing fear and working with it to discover cool under pressure, is a theme we have heard before. But Nerve is very readable, full of case studies that brim with the personalities of the subjects and of Clark himself. His humorous footnote at the bottom of one page, "Incidentally, most of what we know about the science of fear comes from tormenting rats," is indicative of his writing style.

As someone who is hit with a fair amount of anxiety, I have read numerous books on the subject, many dry, and few helpful. Clark's Nerve is not a bombshell cure for fear and anxiety, but rather an engaging look at the science, stories, and mechanisms behind fear and cool. His suggested reading list at the end probably holds more answers for dealing with one's own fear and anxiety, but Nerve is a good, easy read that stimulated the pleasure center of my brain.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Counterintuitive--but convincing. March 15, 2011

By GLS

Format:Hardcover

Taylor Clark's NERVE is a wonderfully written investigation of stress, fear and anxiety and how our fears can either paralyze or liberate us. That our fears can be a good thing is surprising to read--at first. But Clark shows how the folks who stay cool under the most extreme circumstances do so precisely because they are afraid, not because they are placid. Think of a raft on a river: without a current, you're not getting anywhere. Fear can be that current, but that doesn't mean you don't have to navigate. NERVE gives us the perspective and tools necessary to hit the rapids. And it is lots of fun to read! Highly recommended.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars humor and accuracy March 8, 2011

By Disciple

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

It is a joy to read a book that brings sophisticated science into precise layperson's language and applies it to our everyday lives with humor and wit. The book is a serious stress reliever. Again and again we hear that we modern people deal with higher levels of stress than previous generations, and Taylor Clark provides us with some insights that help us to see ourselves with clearer eyes and enjoy doing it.