Melanie Jensen, a researcher in anxiety and learning (and creator of Everybody Math), has spent years uncovering why kids (and adults) freeze, scroll, and “clean the inbox” instead of doing the thing that matters.
In this brand-new conversation on The Lizzy Jensen Show, Melanie unpacks the big myth—that not all people can be “math people”—and introduces a simple framework for spotting derailment (that moment your brain bails) and turning it into momentum.
The takeaways?
Anxiety = “I care” + “I don’t feel like I have control.”
All people can learn math—and people who don't feel like they're \"math people\" may just be missing steps you can learn.
Name the derailment, then: do the hard thing first, or start with the easy win, or break it into tiny steps.
What is “productive procrastination” is still procrastination.
Fail forward. Try again. That’s the whole game.
📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube here.
Additional Research:
The belief that one is \"not a math person\" can discourage engagement with math, lower confidence, and limit achievement--even among those with potential for growth in the subject: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1192152.pdf
Intensive practice, expectation, and supportive environments can help nearly everyone improve their mathematical abilities, even for those who struggle at first:
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1192152.pdf
Control Value Theorem: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-006-9029-9
Productive Procrastination: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395161205_Not_all_procrastination_is_created_equal_The_buffering_effect_of_productive_procrastination