Being good at math benefits financial and health outcomes only when the trait is combined with high confidence in one's math abilities, a study suggests. Better health outcomes have been independently associated with greater numeric confidence and objective numeracy, or the ability to understand and use math concepts. Ellen Peters and colleagues tested whether these 2 numeric competencies interact to predict financial and health outcomes. In the first study, 4,572 individuals completed a 13-item online survey that assessed financial outcomes such as investments, foreclosures, credit card debt, and loans. In the second study, the authors examined the health outcomes of 91 patients with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus by evaluating physician-recorded disease activity. Participants in both studies completed a 4-question survey that assessed numeric confidence and a short math test that measured objective numeracy. In both studies, higher objective numeracy scores were associated with better outcomes than were lower scores, but only when combined with higher numeric confidence. By contrast, participants with high numeric confidence but low objective numeracy had poor outcomes, presumably due to persistence in numeric tasks despite making unrecognized mistakes. According to the authors, the findings suggest that both objective numeracy and numeric confidence are necessary to optimize life outcomes. However, the findings do not prove that the 2 numeric competencies cause improved outcomes.
Article #19-03126: "Despite high objective numeracy, lower numeric confidence relates to worse financial and medical outcomes," by Ellen Peters et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ellen Peters, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR; e-mail: ellenpet@uoregon.edu
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences