Think your continuing struggles in college algebra are caused by the fact that you were born bad at math? According to a new study, you may be right.

The study, by Johns Hopkins University psychologists, suggests that the ability to understand math is linked to an inborn “number sense,” also known as “approximate number system,” that’s inherent in all animals, including humans. You use number sense to do things like instantly estimate how many people are in a room or how many empty seats there are in a movie theater. Animals use it to do things like determine where the most food is.

The study measured the number sense of preschoolers and linked it to their performance on various tests of math ability. Preschoolers were used because they hadn’t yet received any formal math education, which is an important distinction because researchers believe number sense is universal while math ability is taught and is highly influenced by culture and language and takes years to learn.

The preschoolers were given two sets of tests. The first set involved number sense tests in which the preschoolers viewed groups of blue and yellow dots on a computer screen and estimated which color had more dots. The second set involved math ability tests in which the same preschoolers were measured on numbering skills (verbally counting items on a page), numerical literacy (reading numbers), calculation skills (addition and subtraction), and other abilities.

The researchers found that the preschoolers who did better at estimating dots also did better when it came to the math ability tests. General intelligence tests were also administered to rule out those who simply performed well on all the tests.

So what does this mean for you? The researchers say that the study suggests a link between inborn number sense and math ability, although they’re quick to point out that the findings don’t fully explain the link when school and education are involved in the equation. It could be that people with a good number sense have an easier time learning math and thus do well in school.

But it could also mean that those with poor number sense end up avoiding math and math-related activities early on because math is more difficult for them, leading to an avoidance that results in poorer performance in school caused by a lack of practice and study.

In other words, if you’re getting bad grades in your college math courses, you may simply not be working hard enough. Seems like the link between number sense and math ability is trumped only by the link between effort and results. Sorry to say, but you just might have to put down your Xbox controller and pick up your textbook if you want to get good grades.