Anxiety about mathematics a response in the brain Chicago - Agencies Anxiety about mathematics can create a response in the brain similar to when a person experiences physical pain, researchers at the University of Chicago say. Brain scans showed brain areas active when highly math-anxious people prepare to do math overlap with the same areas that register the threat of bodily harm or, in some cases, physical pain, they said. "For someone who has math anxiety, the anticipation of doing math prompts a similar brain reaction as when they experience pain -- say, burning one's hand on a hot stove," psychology Professor Sian Beilock said in a university release Thursday. A surprising finding, researches said, was that it was anticipation of having to do math, and not actually doing math itself, that evoked the pain-like response. "The brain activation does not happen during math performance, suggesting that it is not the math itself that hurts; rather the anticipation of math is painful," said researcher Ian Lyons, a 2012 graduate in psychology from the University of Chicago who is now a postdoctoral scholar at Western University in Ontario, Canada. Anticipating math activated the posterior insula, a fold of tissue located deep inside the brain just above the ear that is associated with registering direct threats to the body as well as the experience of pain, the researchers said. Beilock and Lyons have published their findings in the journal PLoS One.
GMT 14:00 2018 Tuesday ,11 December
Russia tests new telemetry system during manned Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft’s launchGMT 13:17 2018 Friday ,07 December
China to launch mission to land on far side of the moonGMT 09:49 2018 Monday ,03 December
NASA spacecraft to land on asteroid after over two-year journeyGMT 11:38 2018 Monday ,26 November
NASA jittery but confident about landing probe on MarsGMT 08:49 2018 Thursday ,22 November
NASA's InSight lander on course for Mars touchdown on MondayGMT 16:03 2018 Wednesday ,21 November
Russian hi-tech firms design new blades to boost combat helicopters’ speedGMT 10:32 2018 Thursday ,15 November
Astronomers find a frozen Super-Earth orbiting closest single star to our ownGMT 09:51 2018 Thursday ,15 November
Chtf 2018 Opened In Shenzhen On November 14th With A "Time Gallery" Featuring 20-Years Of MemoriesMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor