Why do Athletes Stick Their Tongues Out?
We’ve all seen the iconic photos of Michael Jorden going in for a high-flying dunk, soaring in the air, high above the defense and offense alike. But what some may not notice is that Jordan often has his tongue out in these dunks. In fact, throughout many sports, athletes seem resigned to having their tongues hanging out of their mouths, particularly during high intense plays.
So, why do athletes stick their tongues out and should you?
The Art of Concentration
Think of the last time you exerted significant physical activity. Whether it was during a particularly difficult lift at the gym, or a 5-mile run through the park, or when you lifted a heavy item off the ground.
Now, try to remember how you felt during that activity. What was going through your mind and body?
Now, remembering the above, what face did you make during that activity? Were you stoic and calm? Or was your face burrowed, your eyes squinted, and your mind focused?
Nine-times out of ten, I’d be willing to bet that it was the latter.
When we engage in a difficult, intense, grueling activity, the mind focuses completely on completing that task. The upcoming rent payment, a recent fight with a significant other, and an upcoming deadline are all placed to the side. In that moment, your brain places full focus on the activity at hand.
When you are concentrating on something, you are using the hemisphere of the brain also used for processing motor input. It’s also more noticeable that some people walk more slowly when they are thinking of something particularly difficult.
This is caused by an interference from the two activities fighting for the same bit of brain to process them. By biting your lip or sticking your tongue out, you are suspending motor activity and keeping your head rigid, to minimize movement and hence interference.
So, Why the Tongue?
Much of your brain is devoted to your tongue. It is a huge muscle, constantly moving, that has to keep out of the way of your teeth, help you swallow and avoid choking you. It’s covered with densely packed touch receptors that constantly update the mental map of the shape of your mouth.
And your tongue is connected to the brain’s language centers so it often moves to partly form word shapes as you think. All this sends a huge stream of data to your brain. Sticking your tongue out or biting it, reduces its movement and cuts down on this torrent, which leaves more brain-power available to concentrate.
When you need to concentrate on something, like a crossword puzzle, you are using the hemisphere of the brain also used for processing motor input.
It is pretty funny to see people slow down when they are thinking of something difficult while walking.
This is caused by interference from the two activities fighting for the same bit of brain to process them.
Many biologists believe that by biting your lip or sticking your tongue out, you are suspending motor activity and also keeping your head rigid, to minimize movement, and hence interference.
Large areas of the brain are devoted to control of the tongue and to the receipt of sensation from it.
With the tongue held rigid against the teeth or lips, the activity of those areas is subdued, allowing delicate tasks like threading a needle to proceed with less interference.
Should You Stick Your Tongue Out?
Yes and no. While, per the above sources, we see that sticking your tongue out can help with your concentration, doing so manually may cause more distress and distraction.
You see, when an athlete sticks their tongue out during a particularly difficult play or portion of the game, they are doing so automatically and without needing to think about it.
Athletes, such as Michael Jordan, don’t think about sticking their tongues out. Rather, it is an automatic response to the play to assist with their concentration and focus. However, if you begin to manually stick your tongue out, you will be distracting your mind, and your body, from the task at hand.
Why Does Michael Jordan Stick his Tongue Out?
In an interview on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1990, Michael Jordan discussed why he keeps his tongue out. Jordan said he developed the habit by watching his late father when he as a kid. Whenever he had to focus or concentrate on something in the game, the tongue would come out. He once addressed the tongue issue when he was a guest on the Arsenio Hall Show.
“Well, it’s an unconscious habit that I picked up from my father,” Jordan said. “Being a little kid and you’re watching your father work, he used to stick his tongue out, and I took it up and made it a habit. And now I can’t stop, I tried to stop, I tried playing with a mouthpiece in my mouth — just didn’t work, it didn’t feel natural.”