That feeling of panic when trying to work out a mathematical sum isn’t something to be ignored, it could be maths anxiety.
Mathematical anxiety is very common and is defined as ‘a feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in ordinary life and academic situations.’
And it turns out the UK is the world's worst for it.
Dr Thomas Hunt, leader of The Mathematics Anxiety Research Group who previously spoke to The Mirror, said: “It's a bit of a taboo subject in some respects because it’s rarely spoken about in the open.”
It would seem that maths anxiety is more common in Brits than we thought, after recent findings from a global student survey led by Cuemath.
The figures suggest maths anxiety is higher in the UK than anywhere else in the world, and that girls are more stressed by the subject than boys.
The survey asked students aged 10 to 17 from over 20 countries about their thoughts on mathematics, including their confidence and attitude.
Brits were deemed the most anxious, followed by United Arab Emirates and the United States.
These results follow after proposed Government plans to extend the UK school day, which may add extra pressure to students.
Manan Khurma, chairman of Cuemath, said: “These statistics should be of great concern to UK parents and children.
“A subject core to tomorrow’s jobs, wages, education and closing global inequality is creating high anxiety.
“Worryingly, girls are affected even more than boys, which suggests the career gender divide in maths-related subjects will not be closed anytime soon.”
Other data from the survey shows negative perceptions increase with age, peaking in at 14 to 15 years old.
More than 40 per cent reported an overall negative perception at this stage, before improving slightly at 15 to 16 years old (34 per cent).
This proves the need to reduce maths anxiety at an early age, which could be difficult when teachers can suffer with maths anxiety too.
Manan concluded: “Our findings should also be of great concern to the UK Government. The Treasury’s own statistics show maths contributes over £200 billion to the UK economy – almost 10 per cent of its GDP.
“At Cuemath, we believe how maths is traditionally taught contributes greatly to this anxiety. Innovation in maths teaching is required; more fun, more gamified, and treating maths learning as a human activity, not just an abstract subject.”
