Math Can Hurt You—Physically

Thanks to Barbie, we've long known that math class is tough. But now scientists say just the thought of math can be downright painful, reports Stuff. Researchers used MRIs to measure subjects' brain activity in a variety of hypothetical situations, including "walking to math class" and "receiving a math textbook" The study showed that people experiencing high levels of stress could feel actual physical pain from the experience.

Interestingly, the study showed that you don't feel pain from actually doing math, just from worrying about it. The University of Chicago researchers believe that the pain associated with math anxiety could explain why so many people avoid careers in math-related fields. You can read the full, original article at PLoS ONE. (More mathematics stories.)