Math-anxious brains tackle simple problems differently

Research suggests math-savvy people may be better at automating arithmetic

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NUMBER NERVOUSNESS People anxious about doing math use certain brain networks differently when doing arithmetic, which suggests they might use different problem-solving strategies than people who aren’t anxious about math.

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SAN FRANCISCO — When faced with simple math problems, people who get jittery about the subject may rely more heavily on certain brain circuitry than math-savvy people do.