Boosting Sports Performance with Pupil Control: Dr. Marc Bächinger, myflow

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This might be a tool that sports psychologists have dreamed of:
a way to measure athletes’ mental training efficacy
for boosting sports performance.
You know, like when a runner runs slower today than the day before
their coach has the data to compare.
If that same runner puts less effort into their mental training,
their sports psychologist would not know.
This is what my guest is working on,
giving mental coaches a VR headset and metrics to rely on
to help athletes find flow and improve sports performance
You will hear

• why do professional athletes need mental training
• what flow is
• how your pupil size changes when you are relaxed or aroused
• and how by controlling your pupil, you can control your mind

Dr. Marc Bächinger is the co-founder and CEO of MindMetrix. He is a neuroscientist with a Ph.D. in health sciences and technology who completed his postdoc in pupil-based biofeedback to modulate the arousal system in the human brain.
MindMetrix is an early-stage Swiss startup that develops myflow. This Virtual Reality application allows professional athletes and sports psychologists to track, analyze, and optimize mental training by giving feedback on the size of their pupils.
Follow myflow’s development and their current call for study participants at
https://www.myflow.ch/
Timestamps:
0:00 Dr. Marc Bächinger and myflow
1:19 What is Flow?
7:28 Mental Training in Professional Athletes
13:08 How to Measure Mental Training Efficacy
17:03 Locus Coeruleus Pupil and Control Over Arousal Level
24:01 Family History and the Pursuit of Neuroscience
26:18 Sports Psychologists and Training the Pupil
33:20 VR-Supported Biofeedback Method for Relaxation and Activation
39:28 Noa Loosli Swiss Football Player
45:42 Call for Study Participants
48:02 Thank You Follow myflow
48:28 Follow X-Health.show Disclaimer
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Chapter

1. Dr. Marc Bächinger and myflow (00:00:00)

2. What is Flow? (00:01:19)

3. Mental Training in Professional Athletes (00:07:28)

4. How to Measure Mental Training Efficacy (00:13:08)

5. Locus Coeruleus, Pupil, and Control Over Arousal Level (00:17:03)

6. Family History and the Pursuit of Neuroscience (00:24:01)

7. Sports Psychologists and Training the Pupil (00:26:18)

8. VR-Supported Biofeedback Method for Relaxation and Activation (00:33:20)

9. Noa Loosli, Swiss Football Player (00:39:28)

10. Call for Study Participants (00:45:42)

11. Thank You, Follow myflow (00:48:02)

12. Follow X-Health.show, Disclaimer (00:48:28)