Memory-based math problems stimulate the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain that has been linked to depression and anxiety. Taking medications does not necessarily affect one's math ability, but creativity is what matters the most. Successful people are more likely to have no mental health issues or to manage them effectively. Mathematics anxiety has been studied in educational settings, but it is not included as a separate category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
Many people who experience math anxiety do not meet the DSM criteria for an anxiety disorder. However, research shows that math anxiety affects people of all ages in academic situations and can have a negative impact on their academic success and well-being. Math anxiety is different from anxiety in other subjects or from general test anxiety; for example, research on anxiety in related subjects such as mathematics and statistics shows that math anxiety and statistical anxiety are largely independent of each other and have different effects on students. A study conducted at the University of Chicago measured the neural activity of 28 adults, 14 with high math anxiety and 14 with low math anxiety.
Each subject was asked a series of word and math questions while their brain was being scanned. Math anxiety can have many different roots, and it has been around for a long time. Some students experience math anxiety due to their performance, but there are many other factors that can cause it, such as a lack of self-esteem or negative experiences with mathematics. Math anxiety can be measured using different scales that can help teachers teach students effectively. Gender, culture, and beliefs also play a big role. Mathematics in schools has evolved over the years, and it is expected to continue doing so.
Anxiety has many causes, such as home life, tests, and teachers. However, there are also many solutions, such as time management skills and IEPs. Brain scans may be able to detect mental disorders before symptoms appear, predict which depressed patients will respond to a particular medication, or determine the likely rate of progression of Alzheimer's disease. Teachers, parents, and other important adults serve as role models and influence children with their own attitudes toward mathematics. Gender differences in math anxiety were wider in countries with comparatively low levels of math anxiety.
Long-term research is needed to understand the temporal development of mathematical anxiety. Math anxiety in the first grades affects math performance not only in the same grade but also in subsequent grades. Teachers can choose teaching strategies that increase student interest and motivation by relating mathematics to student lives and everyday life situations. Unfortunately, avoiding mathematics results in less competence, exposure, and practice of mathematics, making students more anxious and mathematically unprepared to achieve achievements. While there are general similarities with regard to the acquisition of mathematical skills, researchers have shown that children's math skills differ from country to country. To understand the influence of mathematical anxiety on students' learning and academic development, it should be considered as a variable within a set of variables related to the environment and the person that interact with each other.
Low levels of mathematical anxiety were associated with increased interest in science and engineering and positively contributed to considering a career in these areas. Taken together, these figures suggest that mathematical anxiety can only explain part of task performance (although a significant variable) and is one variable within a set of others. Women are constantly increasing their performance on math and science tests and in enrollment while men are losing ground at the same time.
