Polar plunge par for the course for Human Management Resources students

A group of students this week learned that a key element of building a team may be an ice breaker – literally.

The group of approximately 50 Human Management Resources students stepped into pools filled with ice water, as part of a new approach to learning at the Ted Rogers School of Management. 

The polar plunge, which was part of Dr. Ellen Choi’s MHR741 - Interpersonal Effectiveness and Teams course, took place on the rooftop of TMU’s Urban Farm at the Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex on October 16-17. Students submerged themselves in bathtubs full of ice and cold water for up to two minutes in a safe environment.

“The course includes a heavy focus on self-awareness and self-regulation so I was keen to give students an opportunity to see how they show up when life offers them a safe but intense challenge,” Dr. Choi said. 

The course, MHR 741 - Managing Interpersonal Effectiveness and Teams, teaches students self-awareness and self-control, stress management, empowering and engaging others and leadership and team building. 

Cold plunging activates the fight/flight/freeze response and in the ice tub, or even before even getting into the ice, one’s self-talk gets loud, she explained. 

“To engage or complete the challenge, students have to learn to manage their inner critic and choose to do something uncomfortable. They have to use their breath to actively override their body's response to the cold and once students realize that they can breathe their body to calm themselves down and meet the challenge at hand, they leave with a sense of accomplishment that is quite remarkable to witness,” she said.

Cold exposure may lower stress

Exposure to cold activates the sympathetic nervous system (external link)  and triggers the release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Research suggests that cold water immersion may improve people's ability to cope with other stressors. A 2021 study in Europe suggested that cold water swimming (external link)  was associated with lower levels of stress and anxiety. 

There are empirical relationships between cold exposure and anxiety, depression, working memory capacity, and cognitive performance, Dr. Choi said.

“Cold exposure practices gives students a chance to expand their hormetic stress zone, which describes the breadth of stressors that we can respond optimally to without getting overwhelmed or shutting down,” she said. “With continued practice, cold exposure can help students experience the same, and increasingly more intense stressors, and cope with those challenges more adaptively.”

While plunging was optional, about 50 students showed their leadership skills and took part, showing their peers what is possible when they feel fear and keep trying, Dr. Choi said. 

For those who didn’t step into the icy pools, some submerged their hands for two minutes instead. While students were participating, they also supported each other with encouragement, cheering and motivation.

“I think the amount of social interaction between students after the dunk was really revealing,” Dr. Choi said. “I heard students share how inspired they were and offering words of acknowledgement and encouragement.”

Student Steven Pastor took part in the plunge, saying it was an opportunity he’d only get once and wanted to take advantage of it. He explained that he didn’t know what to expect prior to the experience. 

“It was fun, I did it twice and the second was for four minutes,” he said. “The first couple of seconds were really cold but once I started breathing and kind of relaxed it almost felt like nothing… for the first time in over two years it felt like I had absolutely nothing on my mind.”

Pastor said having had the cold plunge experience is something he’ll always remember and believes it will help him in the future. “I'll always remember what it was like so whenever I feel like my mind is full or if I'm overwhelmed, I can think back to the tub and it will help clear my head,” he said.

Human Resource Management student Maaz Desai took part in the polar plunge because he was inspired by Dr. Choi and had wanted to try an ice bath for over a year, he explained. “I wanted to experience the health and psychological benefits that came from it,  that's why I chose to do it,” Desai said.

Desai thought it would be easy and trained for the event by taking cold showers for two months prior, but it was extremely hard on both counts.

“The experience was exhilarating for me,” he said. “As I went into the water, I was immediately humbled - it was cold, so many times more than the cold showers... as the cold settled into my body and reached a point of no return, I gave in and lay my head back on the tube. It was peaceful and poetic to find some comfort in immense discomfort.”

Dr. Choi was right beside him, guiding him through the two minutes and Desai said he was grateful for the support.

Desai said he learned how to breathe slightly better because of the experience, got to socialize with his classmates and learned more about himself.

“I definitely conquered my impulse to get out (of the water), as the pain was building up,” he said. “All in all, I was very excited to be a part of this event.”

Dr. Choi hoped her students left the experience with a bolstered sense of what they're capable of and more awareness of how they meet or avoid challenges that they face. 

“No textbook can teach them how powerful it feels to conquer a challenge they thought out of reach,” she said. “Interpersonal dynamics involves being brave enough to speak up, voice dissenting opinions, resolve conflict and manage difficult emotions. All of these skills are founded on one's ability to manage their own experience and this self-management is a mandatory prerequisite to listening, connecting, and leading others.”