New research is showing multiple types one mathematical abilties, and one in particular might surprise you. You may not realize that “confidence” in your mathematical abilities is, in fact, already a mathematical ability. However, we’re learning that the perception that one can finish a problem, regardless of actual current abilities, leads to a much higher likelihood of completing the problem with success. Interestingly, most people are quite inaccurate with their perception of their abilities anyway. One third of the people who self-reported as strong in math actually scored in the bottom half of the math computations test. Meanwhile one fifth of the people who self-reported poor skills in math scored in the top fifty percent of the test. It just so happens one form of the self-perception inaccuracy holds benefits (that of over-confidence), while the other leads to discouragement.