How Anxiety Blocks Learning — and What It Has to Do with Working Memory

I recently used a BBC article in French — which I assume is taken from this BBC CrowdScience podcast — during a French lesson. I often work with authentic materials like this for translation, comprehension practice and discussion, as they bring real-life language and ideas into the classroom.

This particular piece explored why some people find maths easy while others struggle — but the message applies far beyond maths. It’s really about how anxiety affects working memory, and how that, in turn, affects learning in any subject.

Psychologist Dr Iro Xenidou-Dervou from Loughborough University explains that anxiety about maths can actually take up valuable space in our working memory — the part of the brain that holds and processes information while we think. When we worry, those anxious thoughts fill up that space, leaving very little room for reasoning, listening or recalling what we know.

And this is something I see every day in language learning. Many of my adult French and Spanish learners tell me they can read confidently but struggle to listen or speak. It’s not a question of ability — it’s that their working memory is overloaded by anxiety. When we feel under pressure to get everything right or understand every word, our brain simply can’t work efficiently.

The same applies to my Hong Kong students preparing for IB or IGCSE French and Spanish exams. Often, what is holding them back isn’t just vocabulary or grammar, but confidence. Once we work on reducing that anxiety — through calm, structured practice and a focus on communication rather than perfection — their fluency and comprehension improve dramatically.

The encouraging news is that confidence and working memory can be strengthened. With supportive teaching, regular exposure to real-life materials, and gentle encouragement to take risks in speaking, learners can reclaim that valuable mental space and begin to think — and speak — clearly again. So whether you’re an adult learner wanting to feel more confident in conversation, or a student in Hong Kong preparing for French or Spanish exams, remember: it’s not that you’re “bad at languages”. You simply need the right environment to quiet the anxiety and let your working memory do its best work.

Ready to feel more confident with your French or Spanish?

I offer friendly, focused lessons for adults during the day and online tutoring for Hong Kong students preparing for IB or IGCSE French and Spanish.If you’d like to build your confidence, improve your fluency, or simply enjoy learning again, get in touch to find out more or arrange a lesson.

If you found this of interest, click here to read our previous post on cognitive load theory.

Cate is a qualified teacher with more than 20 years of experience teaching in schools and she has most recently dedicated her time to tutoring both online and face to face. Current and past students come from the New Forest, across the UK, Spain, Switzerland, France, Spain, Hong Kong and Australia. Cate has a waiting list for all hours outside of the UK school day but can often find space for those in other time zones (such as Hong Kong and Singapore, UAE, Malaysia) or adults who are able to have a lesson during the day.