How can one optimize the performance of substring extraction operations in PHP to improve overall code efficiency?

To optimize the performance of substring extraction operations in PHP, it is recommended to use the `substr()` function instead of string manipulation functions like `substr_replace()` or `explode()`. This is because `substr()` is specifically designed for extracting substrings and is more efficient in terms of performance. Additionally, specifying the length parameter in `substr()` can help avoid unnecessary processing.

// Example of optimizing substring extraction using substr() function
$string = "Hello, World!";
$substring = substr($string, 7, 5); // Extract "World" starting from position 7 with length 5
echo $substring; // Output: World