Social Psychology & Performance Anxiety · 90 secs
Glossophobia Screener: Free 12-Item Public Speaking Anxiety Test (PRPSA)
Do presentations, speeches, or introducing yourself trigger racing heart, dry mouth, voice tremors, and mental blankouts? Screen glossophobia based on the McCroskey PRPSA model.
Scientific Overview
Glossophobia is the intense fear of speaking in front of an audience. Evolutionary psychology reveals that standing alone before scrutinizing eyes triggers primal tribal exclusion alarms, flooding the body with adrenaline and temporarily shutting down verbal language centers (Broca's area).
What This Assessment Evaluates
- Measures 3 clinical subscales: Physiological Stage Fright & Tremors, Catastrophic Scrutiny & Blankouts, and Performance Avoidance & Career Sabotage
- Explains why public speaking fear is often rated as more terrifying than heights, financial collapse, or death
- Deconstructs the Spotlight Effect and demonstrates why audiences view speakers as far more poised than they feel
- Offers actionable protocols: reframing arousal as excitement, 3-second deliberate pauses, and private vocal journaling
How to Take This Test
- Answer honestly based on your experience over the past 7 days.
- There are no right or wrong answers; trust your initial emotional reaction.
- Receive your personalized score breakdown, mascot insight, and custom journaling prompts immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I go completely blank when giving a presentation?
Massive adrenaline rushes shunt blood away from the prefrontal cortex and speech centers (Broca's area) into large muscles for fight-or-flight, temporarily freezing working memory.
How can I overcome severe stage fright?
Reframe anxiety as excitement, take slow physiological sighs before speaking, pause deliberately between points, and build vocal comfort through daily low-stakes voice journaling.
Medical Disclaimer
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Takes just a minute. Free, anonymous, and no account required to see your initial results.
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