U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr has revealed he has a learning disability that makes counting beats in music as difficult as “climbing Everest”.
The 63-year-old admitted that he has dyscalculia, which makes counting, adding and any mathematical skills extremely difficult.
The condition, which affects around six per cent of people in the UK, can present challenges when doing calculations, managing time, finances and even keeping pace.
The musician told Times Radio: ‘I’ve always known there’s something not particularly right about the way I deal with numbers. I have a numerical challenge.
‘And recently I realized that I have dyscalculia… so I can’t add, I can’t count.
‘I had to find ways to do it, and counting bars is like climbing Everest.
‘And when people see me play sometimes, they say, ‘You look hurt.’ It hurts because I’m trying to count bars.’
The star revealed that after years of struggling with numbers, she was recently diagnosed with a learning disability.
U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr has revealed he has a learning disability which he says makes “counting bars” like “climbing Everest”.
The 63-year-old admitted that he has dyscalculia, which makes counting, adding and any mathematical skills extremely difficult.
The condition is closely related to dyslexia, which makes reading, writing and spelling difficult. In fact, 60 percent of people with dyslexia also have difficulty with math.
According to the British Dyslexia Association, research into the causes of dyscalculia is about 30 years behind studies looking at dyslexia.
But experts say the lack of number sense is related to the function of the brain’s connectivity center called the intraparietal sulcus and the frontal lobe, which deals with reasoning.
This suggests that it may be hereditary, but it may also be related to developmental conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome, a lifelong condition that occurs when a mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy.
It is estimated that a quarter of the population has difficulty learning mathematics, but this is not always due to dyscalculia.
It can also be due to external problems, such as a traumatic learning experience related to mathematics or absence from school.
Take That star Robbie Williams has also previously spoken out about his experiences with dyslexia and dyscalculia.
The 50-year-old said phone numbers even make him anxious.
in a instagram post in June 2023 said: ‘About a month ago I was with some new friends and offered to pay for lunch.
‘There was the option to tip 15 per cent, 20 per cent or 25 per cent. None of which I could solve.
‘I started sweating. I was wrong in the sum. I scribbled it out and in the end I had to ask for help. My new friends were very good about it.
“I didn’t feel embarrassed.”
Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, an ambassador for the Dyscalculia Network charity, has two children who were diagnosed with learning difficulties by an educational psychologist while they were in primary school.
The organization has warned that millions of people across the country are likely to suffer from the condition without knowing it.
Experts say early identification of learning disability is vital to helping young people develop number awareness.