Supporting Academic Success by Staying Positive

It has been known for quite some time that positive attitudes and encouragement towards school increase academic achievement, but up until now research had not been conducted on the neurocognitive mechanisms responsible for this. Chen and associates conducted the first study focused on the brain and its response to positive stimuli when encouraging math, and how the brains response is responsible for increased success in academic performance.

The results of the study found that there is more activity in the hippocampus (the brain area responsible for memory) when positive attitudes are introduced in math lectures than when the teacher is not positive. This means that individuals are more likely to remember and understand math when they are encouraged to do so. These finding can influence the way classes are taught in elementary school, and may significantly increase an individual’s ability to understand complex subjects later in life.

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Source:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29364780