Having a positive mindset in math may do more than just help students feel more confident about their skills and more willing to keep trying when they fail; it may prime their brains to think better.

Catherine Good has experienced stereotype threat herself, although she didn’t know it at the time. She started her academic career in pure math, expecting to get a Ph.D. But somewhere along the way ...

A challenging math problem can make some students break into a cold sweat and others excited to wrap their brains around a puzzle. A wealth of research suggests that a student’s academic ...