第1665期:Should we fear maths?

How good are you at maths? Some people love the challenge of algebra or enjoy working out number puzzles such as Sudoko. Maths is all around us, from working out how to split the bill after a meal, to calculating your household bills. But many dread the moment when they have to deal with numbers and figures and feel a real sense of worry and confusion. It can seem daunting, 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.

你的数学有多好？有些人喜欢代数的挑战或喜欢解决数独等数字难题。数学无处不在，从计算饭后如何分摊账单到计算家庭账单。但许多人害怕面对数字和数字时感到真正的担忧和困惑。这看起来令人生畏，但这种“数学焦虑”是完全正常的，而且你绝对不是一个人。无论如何，我们的担忧和恐惧并不一定反映我们的能力。

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 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 critical, especially at a young age”. She thinks the key is to get people, especially women, who love teaching maths to younger children.↳

问题真正开始于童年，在学校。研究发现，对教授这门学科感到紧张的数学老师会将他们的焦虑传递给学生，女生可能更容易受到影响。国际学生评估项目发现，在 34 个国家/地区的 15 岁和 16 岁青少年中，约有 31% 的人表示他们在做数学题时感到非常紧张，33% 的人表示他们在做数学作业时感到紧张，近 60% 的人表示他们担心数学课会很难。波士顿大学奎斯特罗姆商学院的舒拉米特·卡恩 (Shulamit Kahn) 告诉 BBC，她认为给学生，尤其是女孩，树立良好的榜样“至关重要，尤其是在年轻的时候”。她认为关键是要找到喜欢教年幼孩子数学的人，尤其是女性。

Writing for BBC Future, David Robson says “It’s not clear why maths arouses so much fear compared to geography. But the fact that there’s a right or wrong answer – there’s no room for bluffing – 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.

大卫·罗布森 (David Robson) 为 BBC Future 撰稿说：“与地理相比，数学为什么会引起如此多的恐惧，这一点尚不清楚。但答案有对有错——没有虚张声势的余地——这一事实可能会让你更担心表现不佳。”一旦我们假设自己不是“数学家”，我们就会避免解决我们可能会做的事情。

Psychologists have been trying to work out why mental arithmetic can bring us out in a sweat. That seed of fear may come from many sources, but some suggest that articulating your fears can loosen their hold on you, and encourage children to see a maths test as a challenge, not a threat. Ideally, we need to think positively about maths and give it a second chance.↳

心理学家一直在努力弄清楚为什么心算能让我们大汗淋漓。恐惧的种子可能有很多来源，但有些人认为，表达你的恐惧可以放松他们对你的控制，并鼓励孩子们将数学考试视为挑战，而不是威胁。理想情况下，我们需要积极思考数学并给它第二次机会。

词汇表

algebra 代数
puzzle 谜题，智力游戏
Sudoko 数独游戏
split the bill 分摊费用
calculate 计算
figures 数字
maths anxiety 数学焦虑症
ability 能力
nervous 紧张的，担忧的
problem 习题，问题
homework 家庭作业
role model 榜样
bluff 蒙混过关
underperform 表现不佳
solve 解决
mental arithmetic 心算
articulate 清楚表达
challenge 挑战
a second chance 第二次机会