Why do people get so anxious about math? - Orly Rubinsten 

*never knew that there was a whole type of anxiety for maths but it makes sense*

I’ve always felt like I couldn’t keep up with my classmates in math. They could answer equations faster than I could and I felt ashamed and humiliated in front of my peers...

I usually felt like crying when answering math questions in exams and my heart beats so fast whenever it's math class because I'm afraid the teacher will call me to solve a math problem

I grew up thinking i was never good at math, i was scared of the subject and my mom often told me i was slow and not being good or quick at coming up with answers for math problems meant i had low IQ and not smart. As i moved to study abroad, i took multivarious calculus in high school and thought it was quite creative and interesting. Fast forward to college, Somehow i decided to do a double major with one major being math. I was growing to become more confident and ended up graduating as a math major with a high GPA, tutored math and graded math homeworks for my peers. I hope anyone who reads this can believe yourself that you can do it, and dont let others decide whether you are smart or not. Some people take it slow to solve things or learn new ideas, but that does not mean you have low IQ!! You can do it and make math a fun subject!!

Here’s why I get anxious when I do math: 1. You’re either right or wrong. There’s no in between. 2. Your chances of being wrong over right are much higher. There’s only one right answer, but there are infinite wrong answers.

idk why this comment section actually makes me feel comfortable because I know that I'm not the only one suffering with math anxiety-

I struggle this a lot too, especially this school year. We literally need to learn about 3 topics for a week and I can't even process each one of it, and were learning all this through online class.

I’m a math teacher and even I get anxious about math, students you are not alone! You can feel anxious about failing, but math is about learning from your mistakes! Your mistakes will only make you stronger ❤

i hold back tears when i walk into my math class

I remember my math teacher telling someone that they might need a math tutor. You are, you’re the tutor.

This resonates with me so much. Ever since freshman year of high school I was expecting myself to be smart and get good grades. This went along with my dream to be a vet which requires high marks. Every time I got a bad mark, I felt awful. This lead me to panicking in class when I didn't know how to solve a problem. In grade 12, my calculus and physics teacher would give us hard questions to encourage us to think outside the box. This pressured me even more and I hated those classes even though before I was perfectly fine with them. I have always thought in the back of my mind I could have some sort of anxiety and maybe this is it. I'm not using this to diagnose myself but it has definitely made me think about it, thank you Ted-Ed.

I struggled with math a lot when I was younger. For some reason it was like I had a wall preventing me from understanding certain concepts until I was older. My parents would often get really frustrated and upset when I wasn't picking up math skills fast enough. It felt like a punishement. Eventually I began shying away from math as much as possible and worked on developing my other skills. I think the difficulty and stress I had with it when first learning caused more stress as I got older.

When I was at school, my teacher would keep saying that Math is easy, for some reason, I get anxiety whenever I hear it.

When I have exam, I can see the numbers, but can't think about them. I legit can stare at basic problem for 5 minutes and not solving it. Whereas at home, with no time pressure and alone, I can work easily.

I am in tears right now..seriously I just feel so nervous whenever I have to explain or solve any maths equation..and this thing makes my mind totally blank and makes me feel I am useless even though I know that I am more better than my other classmates in other subjects.

She literally explained how to deal with any form of anxiety, good job..

I feel like schools just teach math wrong somehow. There's tons of people in all other subjects that love that subject but aren't good at it. I'm like that with english; I love the class but my grades are lackluster. In math, the only people finding joy in it are the ones who find it easy.

"So if you experience mathematical anxiety, what can you do?" Me: die

Math anxiety really does affect your performance greatly. I usually got pretty good grades due to my quick grasping of concepts. But once, we had a Math test, of Division of Algebra, I may have missed a class or two but I was still pretty confident. Whenever I get nervous, I begin to lose track of the what I’m doing and my heart starts racing making it much harder to concentrate. I wasn’t even able to finish the questions properly. And my score was really bad. The teacher even called me during lunch that day to ask me what happened since I was doing good in class until the test. I tried making excuses but I was too embarrassed. It seems that a few other students couldn’t do it properly cuz the teacher retook the test. I tried calming myself down and slowly going through all the steps, revised more and just overall tried to chill out. I got full marks.

What she said is so true, I was always afraid of math and dreaded it. After I got a tuition teacher, however, it changed. She always made math to be so easy on constantly reminded me of how easy and fun it is, overall I improved in math SO MUCH. A teacher’s impact on a student is really important.

I cried in math today

when I do too much math, I forget how to count

For me no matter how many times the teacher or professor walks me through it. Even if it’s on a one to one tutoring session or showing me slowly step by step . The second I have to do it alone my brain gets confused . I’ve learned ways to cope with my struggles with math. Daily tutoring sessions in a quiet room with someone who’s patient with me has helped tremendously. Also before tests Im allowed to have extra sheets of paper so I can solve my problems , the use of a calculator, extended time and I’m also permitted to use a formula chart that shows me step by step how to solve the problems

My previous math teacher used to choose me for most of the math problems, especially the hard ones. This was not because she wanted me to get better, she only wanted the class to be amused at my failure. Everybody loved her except me. I couldn't be more glad she left the school.

You get anxious because when you play the Game of Math, you're either right or you're wrong. There is no middle ground.

Human : Is born. Math: So, you have chosen death.

I am 26 and completing a science degree after transferring from the arts. I love biology so much, but math nearly crushed my dream. I know I can learn math but I am slower at learning it than any other subject. I’ve realized it’s my mindset and the lack of support I got as a child and teen learning math.

"QUICKLY, QUICKLY!" My dad would constantly yell at me when I was 5 years old doing flashcards in the living room, trying to figure out addition and subtraction. I'm still trying to release this anxiety almost 30 years later.

As the "smart kid" in my former school, all I can say is the math "teacher" is not actually teaching, but instead doing what the book told her to do.

I was pretty good at math when I was starting school, but over time I developed a huge anxiety towards math. I sometimes look at answers to math equations I had problems with and I think "God, this is so simple, why I couldn't figure it out?". When I'm taking math tests I just can't think at all.

In my opinion, kids in Asia ( especially at East, and Southeastern Asia ) have more chance to have this syndrome as almost all my classmates tell each other that the semester math test is very hard, even though the teacher tell us the questions were similar to what he have given. It's like as if my friends lost their memories about the lesson my teacher has given. Also, that makes us more anxious when the teacher who teachs us math told us that only two of 46 students only passed the test. Also, pretty much all Cindo ( Chinese Indonesian ) parents force their children to have a good math score.

I was homeschooled since elementary school, and when I was homeschooled I started to develop a huge love for mathematics. Even teaching myself calculus (with the help of a family member) in my 7th grade year of middle school. As soon as I got into my freshman year of high school I skipped about 4 years of mathematics. But as I went to school I very much developed a anxiety and a “hatred” towards math. And it’s honestly quite disappointing.

To this day, I'm still wondering how Bob can carry 52 watermelons and why he would bother to equally divide them among his 4 friends.

The constant rule in Math: When it's easy, you're probably wrong.

Ironically enough, the teachers who were the most passionate about math gave me the most anxiety my making feel bad when I didn't share the same passion.

I really love math and I have a lot of experience in math competitions and a lot of times math anxiety is something that kinda blocked my brain and stopped me from achieving better results until I REALLY screwed up one contest. It made me realise what was my fear doing to me and i could easily solve problems from this contest at home but when there was time limit and pressure i was so stressed that I could not think properly. So I decided to relax before competition, do something really relaxing like watch a movie or something day before, try not to think about the worst outcome and little by little i got rid of math anxiety. Few months later I became national champion. Never give up!!

Most Teachers Don't know how to make a child fall in love with math. Edit(after 1 year): The problem mentioned above is more prevalent than it might seem, but it can be irrelevant. Students with good fundamentals can learn on their own.

After watching this video, I realized that I have math anxiety too. When I'm doing math problems at school, my friends always solved it faster than me and I got really scared and anxious then I don't know how to solve it but when I'm alone and can actually finish the whole set of question.

i never knew people actually felt this way. ive always loved math despite being exceedingly better at english....i find math to be very calming. i hope everyone dealing with this receives the courage and support they need when it comes to math

I needed this video… and looking at these comments I feel better about myself, knowing I’m not the only one, just as the video says. I need more videos like this to help me get through my day!!

i used to love math but my teachers made me hate it

I get nervous when Math class starts because my teacher teaches too fast for me. Then at the end of every class it's like everyone understood the lesson but me. I'm much more comfortable with my Math tutor and I guess I just prefer one on one sessions but I still get super nervous when Math time rolls around. Update: It's been a year since I commented this and now that I'm in 10th grade and am in online classes lemme just say that my new teacher is a huge improvement compared to the last one. My friends are also really good at math and I come to them to teach me alot, here's to hoping yall can improve too :]]] Update #2: Yeah nvm JDKAJDKKSKDKS I hate online school. Everything started going downhill after a few months so I'm back to square one ig ://

Math anxiety is a fun irony. I was brought up to believe I was bad at math. So I worked on math twice as hard than anything else at school, and my math scores were always top of class wherever I go. From anyone else’s POV, I was pretty good at it. Yet after 20 years, I still firmly believe I am bad at math.

How my math teacher thought I was autistic and my mother hit me for the first time all cause of math anxiety💀 But I'm glad to have been able to make them understand that I had anxiety attacks and after a while they did understand. Cooperated with me which helped me overcome my anxiety. Now I can finally say with confidence i love math ^.^

Math anxiety is a symptom created by school. Without school math wouldn't have anxiety

One time, my math teacher made me solve a math problem at the board. I was so anxious, I silently cried for 4 minutes while trying to answer the problem. ;-;

I was always ahead in math when I was younger up until 5th grade I began to struggle and fall behind. In my 7th grade year I completely gave up, I never turned in homework, never passed tests due to all the stress. In my 9th grade year, I had realized I didn't know as much as my other classmates but I had put in the effort and was passing all my tests. I am now a sophomore taking Algebra 3 and I actually enjoy math now!

Dude I had to stop mid quiz today during math because I was so overwhelmed that I felt like I was going to faint. I forgot everything I learned and was stressing like crazy. I’m in an advanced math class rn and math anxiety is honestly the main focus of my life. I don’t go an hour without thinking about it. It’s hard for me to live like that but that’s how it’s been for the past two years. And my last grades haven’t been boosting my confidence either. :(

i get anxious even hearing the word "math" 😩

Whenever I don't understand how a teacher got the question, they just say how they got the answer but slower. That's like if you were to go to a foreign country, say "Hello" and then the other person says "Sorry I don't speak English" in their native language, so you just say "Hello" slower as if that would help.

2:50 oh imma do that during my next math class ;)

数学できる＝頭いいとみなす文化とかって世界共通なんだ。

I really love how everyone in the comment section is talking about their experiences in Math class and the others are leaving tips on how to cope up with math. That's really sweet😊

I can do the other subjects, but my brain just stops when im doing math.

One c in math made me anxious about school entirely! The next time I went to that class, I was shaking and shivering 😍😍Oh and this happened in other subjects too. Even the ones I was good at. This anxious feeling still lingers and its been a year :) Thank you math!

This video makes me feel way better about that time i cried in the middle of a math test in senior year of highschool, I was so scared of failing that I couldn't concentrate and that stress made me burst into tears :( I felt so embarrassed of myself after that (still do, but less) And that made me really scared that I wasn't going to be good enough to study the university career that I wanted because I was "mediocre" at math. But I really really wanted to get into this career, so I forced myself to understand and eat up my fear of asking for help and if all payed up! Cause at the end of the year my teacher warmed up to me and treated me way nicer than years prior, he said that he was proud of me that I had changed for the better, it was really nice! That gave me the confidence to pursue the career I really wanted, which is medical technology, and I'm really glad I didn't give up bc it's such a fun and interesting career, I'm always excited to know what's the next thing I can learn and it's so refreshing compared to school. Like- I had never been so excited to go to class until I started uni! But uh anyways... going back to math, im in my 3rd year of university, and even tough I'm still not the best at math and still takes me a while to catch up to what the professors teach, im way better than how I was in highschool, and that encourages me a lot! There's obviously moments where I get the anxiety again, but taking deep breaths and reassuring myself that even if i fail I can learn from this, is really calming. Remember that you're not born knowing how to do things, and that that's why you're learning/studying/practicing! failing is just, y'know, a part of the learning process :)) You'll end up being good at something eventually! but you have to allow yourself to understand that failing is not a bad thing bc it allows you to learn from your mistakes so in the future you can recognize them and be able to fix them! :)) (Sidenote: this definitely has a lot of grammar mistakes jajsja I'm really sorry about that, english is my second language jajsja)

A legend said : *"If you hate science and mathematics..you are teached by a wrong teacher"*

I get the anxioty part of math because at school its like ANSWER IT CORRECTLY IN 1min OR FUCKING DIE.

My math teacher this year actually allowed us to listen to music while we write our tests. For me personally, it helped calm me down because often what happens is that I blank out when I see the questions on the paper, so I can get really panicky. Just taking some deep breaths while I listen to my playlist help me clear my mind and collect my thoughts.

I have math anxiety and can't do basic arithmetic when timed but I can do nearly accurate estimates when I'm not really thinking about time. I was made fun of for not being able to solve problems the same way as others even though my answers were the same as everyone else's.

I just hate my teacher Seriously, I asked her a question on how to answer this equation then she said "For you to answer this equation first you try answer it" I was like inside "HOW AM I GOING TO ANSWER THIS IF I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO?!" Edit: For those people who are wondering if I should've gave it a go, I couldn't because I didn't know what to do. It was a new lesson and that teacher don't take questions whenever she's discussing. I asked her that question when we were doing a seatwork and she still didn't help me and i had no score because of her.

Its because the educational system crams complex systems into students over a very short term and just assumes everyone can and needs to learn it at an equal pace even if it has nothing to do with what their future career might end up being and pushes students to value arbitrary and rigid test scores. Why do people have math anxiety? Because in schools numbers are often valued over actual intelligence and learning skills. I had a moment in my math exam where I had to re use a solving method i learned a few years back. It was something like y=mx+b. I didn't remember how to do any of it because the system that taught me it revolves around undiffering, short term memorization. Ever wonder why your parents say "I don't remember all this when I was taught"? WELL THERE YA GO.

I remember when I was one of the good students in math. But when the corona epidemic happened, we had to study online all the time, at that time I was just entering secondary school, everything became difficult for me because I had to learn and memorize more subjects and the teacher lectured faster, I got a huge shock especially with math. So every time I go to math class, I feel extremely nervous ;-;

Here I am watching this video after an emotional breakdown during a math college test

It’s even more stressful when competing

My first experience with math we would do timed tests, as many as you can answer in 60 seconds. This explains why I have so much anxiety about math and finishing it quickly.

So glad to hear this. I was decent at Pre-Calc. In junior year, and now I’m a senior in AP Calculus. I truly believed up until this that maybe I’m incapable to learning this sort of skill. I’m changing my approach. Now that I know that what I’m going through is normal, and I’m not actually incapable of learning, I’m excited.

Damn didn't know many people felt this way, I always felt math as interesting and challenging, in a good way. I guess I never realized how important my teachers were when I was young, and how they always encouraged me which built my confidence, so I never felt any anxiety even if I get a question wrong, I just simply use the methodology to solve a similar question and feel great joy that I learned the technique.

Im so bad at math to the point where i dont care if i get the answer wrong. Whenever im called on i just make a confused face as if im trying to solve it in my head when really im thinking about what i may want for dinner. Edit: bro it’s been almost a year why is this getting so many responses now? 🤨

Most people get anxiety because of the teachers.They're always like..... Match teacher:(Walks in class)TODAY YOU ALL HAVE TO LEARN A NEW ADDITION METHOD AND I WILL GIVE 851 QUESTIONS AND YOU HAVE TO ANSWER IT CORRECTLY in 1.25 SECONDS OR YOU WILL NOT GRADUATE!!! Students: *starts crying inside*

For me the anxiety came from no proper guidance and a time limit to understand a concept. No one to teach you and on top of that you are told to learn it fast. Waow. I wish I knew about online videos and resources when I was in school. Could have saved me so much anxiety.

Videos like this give me hope. I remember being locked up in a dark library just by failing my studies during a tutoring session. Now I just freeze when I'm expected to answer any math, my brain just panics even if it's simple math. It's like I condemn myself for being so bad at math even before I try to answer. I would say I'm recovering from this, I try to answer math questions from time to time in my spare time.

I'm really bad at maths but I'm actually really good at English and History. I get so anxious about maths and because of how good I am at English my teachers often assume I'm good at maths too and it really puts a lot of pressure on me. I'll admit I'm a lazy person and even though I know I have to study to get good at maths I can't be bothered to. At school I always plan to practice my maths when I get home but when I do arrive home I'm so drained of energy from school that I am completely unmotivated to do anything that might require some hard work and effort. I know that it'll only get worse if I don't do anything but it's just so hard to break free from this cycle.

My math anxiety in a nutshell Theres a science question Me : ohhh this is interest- With math Me : imma head out

Just came for maths video to boost up my confidence a bit in maths. This may sound like I ramble but this afternoon my teacher called on me to solve an equation; I could obviously solve it if I have a bit of time but I was having migraines during that period and I can’t think straight at all then my teacher saw that I was taking notes on the lessons and he called on another student to solve it, idk why I kinda feel insecure about that maybe because I think he thought that I couldn’t solve it or something ;_; Also a lot of my classmates solved them I kinda felt like I didn’t do anything to show my skill or something like that since I don’t know the basic foundation of maths back in 8th & 9th grades that even made me more insecure. The fact that I began to like maths made me even more stress ackkkk

Great clip TedEd. Maths is such a great subject and brings to life so much in our day to day environment.

today i didn’t attend my first math tutoring because i chickened out 😞. i don’t know math just makes me so nervous and stressed and under pressure. literally can’t do the easiest math problem in front of a teacher without being put under so much pressure like literally my stomach always feels like it’s eating itself when that happens.. edit: finally some people i can actually relate to 😫

I love how this video popped up in my recommendations 10 minutes after I was just stressing and having a breakdown over my Math homework.

Sometimes I get very confident with my calculations but at the end it turns out wrong or the exam is too long to finish at the given time limit

This made so much sense to me, I also feel anxious about chemistry, physics, and reading maps😞 especially maps make me so so upset since I can't live without it

Try living in Singapore. Math and Science is everything here. I'm an arts person. Well.

Math was one of my favorite subjects in school, but then I lost interest when the alphabet got involved.

Reminds me of my first breakdown when my mom was pressuring me to do my math homework lol

I can't remember ever having this type of anxiety but I do get some sort of anxiety before taking any exam

Ever since 6th grade I've had maths anxiety I never got above C in maths until 10th grade where my tution teacher was the most patience person. The way he taught us was amazing he even taught us basic maths. I can't describe how greatful I'm of him. I got an A in tenth grade and I never feel maths anxiety anymore! I like maths and I got to know that I'm good at maths tooo

I believe math is the most stressful because that's the main subject that parents care about on your report card, you don't get stressed on things like art class or music because your parents don't care about them, but for most people the main thing their parents want them to get good grades on is math

This has appeared in my recommendation after my math exam today. And earlier I was crying because I know if failed the exam.

1:47 is correct the way we are exposed to maths by our parents and teachers especially our parents it plays an important role in our life if we were exposed to maths as an easy field or subject it would have been easy for us to understand it plus we would have never experienced maths anxiety. and the people we are sounded with also plays an important role as well.

It's not math that gave me anxiety during my school days, it was my math teacher. I could comfortably do calculus at home but not at school. Nails were specifically grown longer for pinching and yes it was never about understanding the concept rather it was about getting good marks.

Doing math literally makes me cry and gives me a painful headache. I love logical reasoning in other areas like philosophy and would say I'm a logically oriented person, but math makes just robs me of my will to live. Maybe I have that condition.

A pro tip: While practicing math Just listen to calming relaxing music while solving as it will help resolve the cognitive space that the stress and fear takes up

As a math teacher, I have to remember that my students may be suffering from math anxiety and may not love math as much as I do... 😊

not me crying while i watch this because im supposed to be doinf math homework and i have been doing it for 30 minutes and still have no idea whats happening

i got that too i am really good at math but whenever is sit down to solve the exam i break down

I wish my math teacher watch this!!!

ngl im pretty confident when im answering a math test but when it comes to forgetting one thing that ur supposed to do in the formula or getting the question wrong, i immediately start crying because idk i get scared and all

DEAR MATH I am sick and tired of finding your "x".

I love Mathematics. Schools just have to teach it in a more interesting way. Plus don't make your students write the answers on the board in front of the whole class if they're not comfortable doing so.

There’s that, and there’s also the sharp footsteps echoing as they cross the room, and the shadow that occasionally pauses over the workspace. And you can’t talk to your peers about tough spots because school is so competitive and math is like litmus paper.

I feel like this is exactly what i was looking for so long i mean i am actually good at maths but i can’t help but to feel like every single thing i do is wrong. I even cry during exams and after them bc i feel i did it wrong and then get a real good mark and everyone looks at me like i did it on purpose when i actually allways feel like i’m failing and it’s so stressful that no one around me is unable to understand how i feel