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When French mathematician Laurent Schwartz was in high school,
在法国数学家洛朗·施瓦茨读高中时
he started to worry that he wasn't smart enough to solve math problems.
他开始担心自己不够聪明，算不出数学题。
Maybe you know a similar feeling.
很可能你也有同感。
You sit down to take a math test, and you feel your heart beat faster and your palms start to sweat.
当你坐下来开始进行数学考试，你会感觉到自己心跳加速，手心出汗。
You get butterflies in your stomach, and you can't concentrate.
你的胃里翻江倒海，难以集中注意力。
This phenomenon is called math anxiety, and if it happens to you, you're not alone.
这种现象叫做数学焦虑症，如果你也遇到过这种情况，你并不是例外。
Researchers think about 20% of the population suffers from it.
研究者认为20%的人有数学焦虑症。
Some psychologists even consider it a diagnosable condition.
一些心理学家甚至认为这是一种可诊断的症状。
But having mathematical anxiety doesn't necessarily mean you're bad at math -- not even close.
但是有数学焦虑症并不意味着你不擅长数学，二者甚至毫无关联。
Laurent Schwartz went on to win the Fields Medal, the highest award in mathematics.
洛朗·施瓦茨后来获得了菲尔茨奖，这是数学领域的最高奖项。
People might think that they're anxious about math because they're bad at it, but it's often the other way around.
可能人们认为产生焦虑的原因是他们不擅长数学，但事实上二者的关系恰好相反。
They're doing poorly in math because they're anxious about it.
因为人们太过紧张，才会导致数学方面表现不佳。
Some psychologists think that's because math anxiety decreases a cognitive resource called working memory.
一些心理学家认为这是因为数学焦虑症消耗了一种被称为工作记忆的认知资源。
That's the short-term memory system that helps you organize the information you need to complete a task.
工作记忆是短期记忆系统，它能帮你组织用于完成任务的信息。
Worrying about being able to solve math problems, or not doing well on a test, eats up working memory,
担心能否解出数学题或能否很好地完成考试都会消耗工作记忆，
leaving less of it available to tackle the math itself.
而此时用于解答数学题的工作记忆就会变少。
People can suddenly struggle with even basic math skills, like arithmetic, that they've otherwise mastered.
人们可能会突然丧失最基本的解题技能，例如他们已经非常擅长的算术。
Academic anxiety certainly isn't limited to math,
学术方面的焦虑不止体现在数学这一个科目上，
but it does seem to happen much more frequently, and cause more harm in that subject.
但数学焦虑症似乎发生得更加频繁，并且在这个科目上造成了更大的消极影响。
So why would that be? Researchers aren't yet sure,
这究竟是为什么呢？研究者们现在还不能确定，
but some studies suggest that the way children are exposed to math by their parents and teachers play a large part.
但一些研究表明，孩子通过家长和老师来接触数学的方式在其中扮演着重要的角色。
If parents talk about math like something challenging and unfamiliar, children can internalize that.
如果家长们对数学问题感到无所适从，难以驾驭，孩子们就会认同并接受这一观点。
Teachers with math anxiety are also likely to spread it to their students.
有数学焦虑症的老师也很可能会将其传染给学生们。
Pressure to solve problems quickly dials up stress even more.
催促学生解题则会加大学生的精神压力。
And in some cultures, being good at math is a sign of being smart in general.
而在某些文化中擅长数学被普遍认为是聪明的标志。
When the stakes are that high, it's not surprising that students are anxious.
当数学扮演着如此重要的角色，也难怪学生们会焦虑。
Even Maryam Mirzakhani, an influential mathematician who was the first woman to win the Fields Medal,
连玛丽亚姆·米尔扎汉这位享誉世界的数学家，也是第一位赢得菲尔茨奖的女性，
felt unconfident and lost interest in mathematics because her math teacher in middle school didn't think she was talented.
也曾对数学失去了信心和兴趣，因为她中学时的数学老师曾认为她并没有天赋。
So if you experience mathematical anxiety, what can you do?
所以如果你正经历数学焦虑症，要如何缓解呢？
Relaxation techniques, like short breathing exercises, have improved test performance in students with math anxiety.
一些放松的技巧，例如短时间的呼吸训练，可以缓解学生们在考试时的数学焦虑。
Writing down your worries can also help.
写下你的担忧也会有所帮助。
This strategy may give you a chance to reevaluate a stressful experience, freeing up working memory.
它能够使你重新审视充满压力的经历，从而释放工作记忆。
And if you have the chance, physical activity, like a brisk walk,
如果有机会，体育活动，如快步走，
deepens breathing and helps relieve muscle tension, preventing anxiety from building.
也可以促进深呼吸，同时帮助缓解肌肉紧张，从而防止焦虑产生。
You can also use your knowledge about the brain to change your mindset.
你也可以运用关于大脑的知识去改变你的心态。
The brain is flexible, and the areas involved in math skills can always grow and develop.
大脑是非常灵活的，负责数学技能的区域可以持续提高和发展。
This is a psychological principle called the growth mindset.
这个心理学原理叫做成长心态。
Thinking of yourself as someone who can grow and improve can actually help you grow and improve.
认为自己是可以进步和提高的想法，可以切实地促进你成长和进步。
If you're a teacher or parent of young children, try being playful with math and focusing on the creative aspects.
如果你是一名教师或为人父母，试着轻松对待数学并关注其创造性的方面。
That can build the numerical skills that help students approach math with confidence later on.
这可以培养学生的算数能力，使其在今后更有信心地面对数学问题。
Importantly, you should give children the time and space to work through their answers.
重要的是应该给孩子们时间和空间，让他们去寻找答案。
And if you're an administrator,
如果你是一位管理者，
make sure your teachers have the positive attitudes and mathematical confidence necessary to inspire confidence in all of their students.
你需要确保你的老师们面对数学也有积极的态度和信心，继而才能激发他们学生的信心。
Also, don't let anyone spread the myth that boys are innately better than girls at math. That is completely false.
同时不要让任何人散播男生天生比女生擅长数学这种说法。这是完全错误的观念。
If you experience math anxiety, it may not help to just know that math anxiety exists.
如果你经历了数学焦虑症，了解它的存在并不一定能有所帮助。
Or perhaps it's reassuring to put a name to the problem.
或者给这个问题起个名字，至少能减轻你的担忧。
Regardless, if you take a look around yourself,
不管怎样，如果你观察周围的人，
the odds are good that you'll see someone experiencing the same thing as you.
很可能你会发现其他人也有数学焦虑症。
Just remember that the anxiety is not a reflection of your ability,
切记焦虑并不能反映出你的能力，
but it is something you can conquer with time and awareness.
但你可以用时间和意识克服焦虑。
