Firefighters, combat fighter pilots and bomb technicians are just a few of the professions where people put their lives on the line to save others.
Unlike the rest of us who may run in terror from a life threatening situation or collapse in fear, people in these dangerous jobs have the ability to do what others can’t.
So are they wired differently or can anyone train their brain to do the seemingly unthinkable?
Jane Mara is an author and founder and CEO of Expert Intuition, which trains individuals and organisational teams to access and apply their innate ability of intuition to have more ‘Aha’ moments and insights in their lives. Her research examines the role intuition plays in decision-making. She says at the core we are all the same.
“When we’re under pressure and under stress … that produces a whole raft of chemicals and hormones and interactions that go on in the body, that’s not something you can prevent and you can’t turn it off,” she explains.
Paramedics are often putting their lives on the line, working under extreme pressure to save others. Photo AAP Source: AAP
When most of us are stressed or frightened Mara says our ability to make good decisions shuts off.
“[It’s] emotion overload, that prefrontal cortex, that shuts down entirely.”
What makes some people unique, according to Mara, are some key differences;
- Training techniques
- Experience
- Purpose
Mara explains that superior pattern recognition is a key tool in helping them keep their emotions at bay while on the job.
Going over and over given scenarios, as well as performing these in real life, creates lifelong habits.
“Experience counts for a lot too … they’ve been in there before, they know the risks, they’re trained to look for certain keys that we’re not necessarily looking for.”
When lives are on the line, Mara says people in these professions are often asking themselves what their purpose is, which gives them a wider perspective.
“Their value is very high around empathy and compassion I suspect,” she says.
Watch Insight's full episode, Nerves of Steel, here:
