adapted from The Huffington Post .
IT’S one of life’s truths: Being bilingual or multilingual can only be considered a good thing.
Speaking other language gives us the ability to travel seamlessly in another country; it allows us to interact with people we wouldn’t otherwise be able to communicate with. Moreover, it gives us the possibility to understand and immerse ourselves in a different culture.But aside from all these reasons, there is a multitude of research showing how speaking more than one language is also good for your health — particularly, the health of your brain.
The reason why bilingual have an advantage is that they have better “cognitive flexibility.”
Older adults who have spoken two languages since childhood seem to have better cognitive flexibility — meaning, they are better able to go with the flow in the face of a new or unexpected circumstance — than adults who only speak one language, according to a Journal of Neuroscience study.
The study involved having participants complete a cognitive flexibility task; while monolingual and bilingual adults were both able to complete the task, the bilingual adults did it more quickly and certain parts of their brains used less energy to do so.
Their brains stay sharper in old age.
And this is true even for people who learned a second language later in life, according to a recent study in the Annals of Neurology.The study revealed that people who spoke two or more languages had greater cognitive abilities — particularly in general intelligence and reading — from their baseline, compared with those who only spoke one language.
People who speak two languages may process certain words faster, particularly if the word has the same meaning in both languages, according to a Psychological Sciencestudy.
Furthermore, bilingual people are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s. Although not immune to it, they may experience a delay in developing the condition.
Their brains stay sharper in old age.
And this is true even for people who learned a second language later in life, according to a recent study in the Annals of Neurology.The study revealed that people who spoke two or more languages had greater cognitive abilities — particularly in general intelligence and reading — from their baseline, compared with those who only spoke one language.
People who speak two languages may process certain words faster, particularly if the word has the same meaning in both languages, according to a Psychological Sciencestudy.
Furthermore, bilingual people are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s. Although not immune to it, they may experience a delay in developing the condition.
Bilingual kids seem to do better on tasks examining problem-solving skills and creativity, according to a study in the International Journal of Bilingualism.
The study showed that bilingual kids may be speedier at switching between tasks, according to a Child Development study.
The study involved having bilingual and monolingual children look at images of animals or depictions of colours on a computer screen. When the children were asked to press a button to switch between images of animals to images of colours, the bilingual children did this faster than the monolingual children.
They can use their ability to think in another language to make better decisions.
The study showed that bilingual kids may be speedier at switching between tasks, according to a Child Development study.
The study involved having bilingual and monolingual children look at images of animals or depictions of colours on a computer screen. When the children were asked to press a button to switch between images of animals to images of colours, the bilingual children did this faster than the monolingual children.
They can use their ability to think in another language to make better decisions.
When people think in another language, they are more likely to make rational decisions in a problem scenario, a 2012 Psychological Study showed.
University of Chicago researchers found that when people think in a foreign language, it provides distancing — which could help them make more deliberate, less emotion-based decisions.
“Perhaps the most important mechanism for the effect is that a foreign language has less emotional resonance than a native tongue,” study researcher Sayuri Hayakawa said in a statement.
“An emotional reaction could lead to decisions that are motivated more by fear than by hope, even when the odds are highly favourable.”
“Perhaps the most important mechanism for the effect is that a foreign language has less emotional resonance than a native tongue,” study researcher Sayuri Hayakawa said in a statement.
“An emotional reaction could lead to decisions that are motivated more by fear than by hope, even when the odds are highly favourable.”
This article originally appeared in The Huffington Post .Originally published as Why you should speak another language
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