A new study conducted by researchers at the British University of Oxford shows that abandoning the study of mathematics at the age of sixteen can negatively affect brain development. Researchers found that teenagers who maintain high levels of mathematics show higher levels of brain chemicals associated with memory, learning, and problem solving.
They conducted a study on 87 students who excelled in mathematics and examined their brains. It was found that the students who were skilled at solving mathematical problems showed higher levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. The study also showed that students with higher levels of GABA achieved better results on problem-solving tests after 19 months.
Scientists believe that developing new strategies to solve difficult mathematical challenges strengthens this part of the brain and contributes to improving their problem-solving abilities in the future.
Professor Roy Cohen Kadosh, who led the study and is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, commented: “It is a positive outcome for those who continue to study mathematics, because they have used their minds in an activity that will benefit in the long term. However, I believe that it is not the right solution to force people who do not like mathematics to study it, instead we should look for alternatives such as training logic and solving analytical problems that stimulate the same area in the brain.”
