Thursday, 5 March 2026 When numbers cause stress: T4EU science café discusses mathematical anxiety

On Thursday, 5 March 2026, a Transform4Europe (T4EU) science café titled “Anxious about mathematics? Is that even real? ” took place at UP FAMNIT. The event, organized by the University of Primorska within the Transform4Europe (T4EU) university alliance, aimed to bring current scientific topics closer to the general public and to encourage discussion among researchers, students, and other interested participants.

The main guest of the evening was Assoc. Prof. Krzysztof Cipora from Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, is a recognised researcher in the field of mathematical cognition and learning. In his lecture, he presented the phenomenon of mathematical anxiety—feelings of tension, worry, or fear that may arise when dealing with numbers or mathematical tasks—and explained how such emotions can influence mathematical achievement and young people’s career choices. Jana Beguš and Živa Žvanut, third-year Biopsychology students at UP FAMNIT, took part in the discussion.

The lecture shed light on how widespread mathematical anxiety is, how it manifests in various everyday situations—from classroom settings to decision-making in daily life—and why understanding this phenomenon is important for developing a more positive relationship with mathematics. Special attention was also given to ways in which the education system, teachers, and students themselves can help reduce negative emotional responses to mathematics.

Dr Cipora is visiting UP as part of the T4EU Visiting Professorship Programme, which brings distinguished experts to partner universities to strengthen teaching and research collaboration. The initiative promotes knowledge exchange, interdisciplinary cooperation, and joint responses to social, digital, and environmental challenges in Europe.

This event was held as part of the “Čajanka s psihologi” series. Events in this series, organised by the Department of Psychology at UP FAMNIT, are intended for anyone interested in psychology and mental health, regardless of prior knowledge. Each meeting is designed to be interactive, and events are held in both English and Slovene.

We invite you to follow all events in this series here.