Students are anxious – and it’s no surprise, since we are teaching them to be that way

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Jul 31, 2026 · 1188 words · By Erin Clabough

Neuroscience of Learning Mental Health Education Reform

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What to know about Neuroscience of Learning

A university professor argues that the current U.S. education system's emphasis on grades and performance over curiosity contributes to chronic anxiety and mental health issues in students. The author discusses the neurological effects of stress on the brain and advocates for a teaching approach that prioritizes well-being and wonder.

Propaganda risk 30%

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Temporary anxiety can often surface before the first day of school.

Why it matters

Sometimes, that can help kids get in the right mindset for a big day.

Common ground

But when anxiety becomes a constant feature of children’s and teenagers’ days, that stress doesn’t switch off when they leave the classroom or finish an exam.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Causal Oversimplification, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Neuroscience of Learning story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Curiosity itself triggers a dopamine response in children’s brains?
How does this story connect Neuroscience of Learning with Mental Health over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/students-are-anxious-and-its-no-surprise-since-we-ar…

analyticsAnalysis

30%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence

Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 60% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

cancel Disputed 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

info

Claim 1: “Curiosity itself triggers a dopamine response in children’s brains.”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only one specific source mentions the 'curiosity loop' and dopamine response in children's brains; other sources discuss dopamine generally but not specifically curiosity as the trigger in this context.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Curiosity itself triggers a dopamine response in children’s brains. Researchers describe it as a “curiosity loop,” in which the brain predicts something, runs into something new or unexpected, release…
https://world.edu/students-are-anxious-and-its-no-surprise-s…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Although persuasive design affects everyone, children are particularly vulnerable due to their developing emotional regulation skills and their natural curiosity about the digital world. The role of t…
https://www.themorning.lk/articles/mJlk6a8VBfFdpUe3zCrj

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Role of Dopamine in Children's Brain Development. Dopamine is a powerful motivator, pulling attention towards activities perceived as valuable or rewarding. Modern triggers include social media in…
https://www.integrative-psych.org/resources/nurturing-health…

info

Claim 2: “A theory dating back more than 100 years suggested that there is an optimal amount of stress for good performance, based on a study that had nothing to do with humans.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results for 'century' and 'new construction homes' are irrelevant to the claim about a stress theory based on non-human studies.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Although a century can mean any arbitrary period of 100 years, there are two viewpoints on the nature of standard centuries. One is based on strict construction, while the other is based on popular pe…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Explore new construction homes for sale in Georgia from Century Communities and Century Complete. You’ll love living in Georgia—a charming place to call home with its coastal beaches, beautiful orchar…
https://www.centurycommunities.com/find-your-new-home/georgi…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — And as one of the top new home builders in Atlanta, GA —featuring homes from two nationally renowned brands, Century Communities and Century Complete —we offer a home for every wish list and lifestyle…
https://www.centurycommunities.com/find-your-new-home/georgi…

help

Claim 3: “Chronic stress has implications for general health too, and can cause inflammatory and autoimmune symptoms.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

info

Claim 4: “Researchers ran mice through a maze, using electric shocks to punish wrong choices. On harder tasks, moderate shocks produced the fastest learning, while stronger shocks made it worse.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results discuss rodent mazes and a stylus maze study, but none of them describe the specific finding that moderate shocks produced faster learning than stronger shocks on hard tasks.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This video shows the fastest and easiest maze solution so you can complete the level without getting lost! In this video: Full BBNO$ World Maze walkthrough Fastest route to the exit No cuts – easy to …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJRL48Ud5Zc

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — More than 100 years since the first maze designed for rodent research, researchers now have the choice of a variety of mazes that come in many different shapes and sizes. Still old designs get modifie…
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00429-024-02771-x

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In the stylus maze study you mentioned, the primary focus is on how different incentives can affect learning behavior. Some participants were shocked for making errors, while others experienced no sho…
https://brainly.com/question/14257051

info

Claim 5: “Over time, chronic stress reshapes the hippocampus, a part of the brain where memories get encoded, making learning itself harder.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results define 'chronic condition' and 'chronic' but do not provide evidence regarding the reshaping of the hippocampus or its effect on memory encoding.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Chronic condition A chronic condition, also known as a chronic disease or chronic illness, is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects. The term chroni…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_condition

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Chronic may refer to: Chronic condition, a condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects Chronic toxicity, a substance with toxic effects after continuous or repeate…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · The meaning of CHRONIC is continuing or occurring again and again for a long time. How to use chronic in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Chronic.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chronic

cancel

Claim 6: “A 2026 study, for example, found that academic pressure to achieve at age 15 can predict depressive symptoms that persist into adulthood.”

DISPUTED

The claim refers to a '2026 study'. The provided evidence shows that 2026 is a future date (or current year in a simulated context), and there is no such study cited. A study cannot be conducted in 2026 to predict outcomes based on historical data in a way that is currently cited as a known fact in the provided evidence.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — 15.ai was a free non-commercial web application and research project that used artificial intelligence to generate text-to-speech voices of fictional characters from popular media. Created by a pseudo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15.ai

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026–27 UEFA Champions League is the 72nd season of Europe's premier football tournament organised by UEFA and the 35th season since it was rebranded from the European Cup to the UEFA Champions Le…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026–27_UEFA_Champions_League

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026–27 UEFA Conference League is the sixth season of the UEFA Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA. The winners of the tournament will automatically qua…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026–27_UEFA_Conference_League

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 7: “Chronic stress also reshapes the prefrontal cortex, impairing our ability to manage stress overall.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

verified

Claim 8: “In 1855, engineers coined the word “stress,” from the word “distress,” to describe a beam pulled, pushed or twisted from multiple directions until the strain shows as a deformation.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The search results provide general definitions of 'term' and 'the' but do not mention the 1855 coining of 'stress' by engineers from 'distress'.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. Under the U.S. Constitution, the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 9: “A recent survey of over 84,000 college students found that one-third of them self-reported moderate or severe anxiety, and roughly the same share self-reported depression.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly state that a survey of over 84,000 college students found one-third reported moderate or severe anxiety and depression.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients whi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malnutrition

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Higher education in Canada includes provincial, territorial, Indigenous and military higher education systems. The ideal objective of Canadian higher education is to offer every Canadian the opportuni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education_in_Canada

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 10: “Chronic stress blunts people’s dopamine response, so nothing feels quite as rewarding, which can look like depression.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm that chronic stress reduces dopaminergic activity/levels and is linked to anhedonia and depression.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Chronic stress reduces the dopaminergic activity of the striatum in the long term. Institutional neglect, early childhood stress or maltreatment inhibit striatal reward function, which is dopaminergic…
https://www.adxs.org/en/page/116/11-dopamine-and-stress

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Stress affects dopamine levels and dopaminergic neuronal activity in the mesolimbic dopamine system. Changes in mesolimbic dopaminergic neurotransmission are important for coping with stress, as they …
https://www.nature.com/articles/s12276-020-00532-4?error=coo…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Chronic stress, in return, affects the dopamine levels and dopaminergic neuronal activity, ultimately generating a “dopamine low” or anti-reward brain state linked to anhedonia and depression.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10525914/

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.