Maths is all around us, from working out how to share the bill after a meal to calculating (计算) your household bills. Some people love the challenge of working out maths problems, but many fear the moment when they have to deal with numbers and figures and feel a real sense of worry. It can seem discouraging, but this ‘maths anxiety' is perfectly normal, and you're definitely not alone. And anyway, our worries and fears don't necessarily reflect our ability.
The problem really starts in childhood, at school. Research has found that maths teachers who are nervous about teaching the subject can pass on their anxiety to the pupils, and girls may be more likely to be affected. The Programme for International Student Assessment found around 31% of 15 and 16-year-olds across 34 countries said they got very nervous doing maths problems, 33% said they got tense and nervous doing maths homework, and nearly 60% said they worried maths classes would be difficult. Shulamit Kahn, from Boston University's Questrom School of Business, told the BBC she believes giving students, particularly girls, good role models "is significant, especially at a young age". She thinks the key is to get people, especially women who love teaching maths, to teach younger children.
Writing for BBC Future, David Robson says "It's not clear why maths gives rise to so much fear compared to geography. But the fact that there's a right or wrong answer might make you more worried about underperforming." And once we assume we're not a ‘maths person', we avoid solving things that we probably could do.
Psychologists (心理学家) have been trying to work out why mental calculation can bring us out in a sweat. That fear may come from many sources, but some suggest that expressing your fears clearly can loosen their hold on you, and encourage children to see a maths test as a challenge, not a threat (威胁). We need to think positively about maths and give it a second chance.