Emotional barriers in teaching quantitative finance: addressing numerophobia in students

This article explores the pervasive yet under-addressed issue of mathematics anxiety—often termed numerophobia—among university students within the field of quantitative finance. Characterized by tension, apprehension, and emotional discomfort when dealing with sophisticated mathematical and statistical procedures, math anxiety significantly hinders student engagement, undermines self-efficacy, and compromises academic and career success. Operating within a cognitive-affective framework, this study examines how math anxiety depletes working memory resources and fosters avoidance behaviors. To counteract these negative effects, the paper theorizes a holistic pedagogical approach that integrates mathematical resilience, psychological safety, and emotional knowledge alongside core cognitive competencies. Ultimately, the study underscores that identifying and resolving these emotional barriers is a crucial requirement for educators to cultivate confident, high-performing professionals capable of navigating the quantitative demands of the financial industry.