5 Visualising your maths anxiety using the hand model

Figure 4 Hand model

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This is an illustrated diagram demonstrating the ‘hand model’ as described in this section.

Figure 4 Hand model

Here’s a way to visualise how you’re feeling when studying mathematics: think of the brain as a model of the hand. This method was developed by Daniel Siegel (2010) and has been adapted for studying maths (Johnston-Wilder, Lee and Mackrell, 2021).

• Hold your hand out flat and place the thumb on your palm. Imagine the thumb represents the limbic system, which is the part of the brain responsible for emotions. Your fingertips will represent the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain where logical thinking takes place.
• Fold your fingers over the thumb, so they touch, and the thumb is covered by the fingers. In this position the thumb (limbic system, your emotions) is protected by your fingers (the prefrontal cortex, your logical thinking). They are in contact, demonstrating how these two parts of your brain can work together, and your logical thinking and your emotions can find a balance. This can help you to remain more calm and thoughtful, facilitating effective study and meaningful interactions with new topics. You can rationalise your thoughts, helping to recognise that if something is hard to understand, then working through the problem will help.
• Now lift your fingers up. In this position your thumb (your emotions) is no longer protected by your fingers. The tips of your fingers (your logical thinking) are no longer touching your thumb, and so they cannot influence each other. In this state, logical thinking cannot control your emotions, which can therefore rise unchecked. The term ‘flipping your lid’ has been coined for this, because that protective ‘lid’ of the prefrontal cortex has lifted up and exposed the limbic system. In effect, these heightened emotions can also be described as the ‘fight-or-flight’ response as discussed earlier. In this state the brain is effectively putting all its energy into trying to save your life as it believes it is being threatened. When your brain is putting that much energy into surviving, it will not be conducive to studying. This will be revisited in Session 4.

You can find a demonstration and discussion of the hand model by Siegel here:

Dr. Dan Siegel's Hand Model of the Brain (open the link in a new tab/window so you can easily return here).

If you experience any of the responses described in this session, let’s be clear – it has no reflection on your intelligence, or your capability for studying maths. It just means that the situation you’ve experienced has triggered a deep-rooted reaction. Session 3 will outline strategies for reducing the intensity of this response.