By: Makena Dyck
Did you know that almost half the world is multilingual. Many educational systems around the world offer programs to learn a different language in addition to their native language, in fact many schools mandate it. Language is a cultural tradition in many families, where parents pass on their native language to their children. Being multilingual can have travel and career benefits, allowing easier communication with other people. Aside from these well-known advantages, there are many more that affect the brain’s function.
Increased Cognitive And Problem Solving Skills
Being multilingual allows you to process the same thought in many ways. This happens because your brain has to express the same thought in different languages. Cognitive skills are the skills your brain uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason, and pay attention. Multilingualism improves your cognitive skills because you experience them in more than one language. Allowing you to make more connections in creative ways, strengthening your brain and its cognitive skills. People who are multilingual are better at problem solving because of their increased cognitive skills. For instance, when given a problem to solve they can easily see solutions from different perspectives. This allows them to be more likely to make the best choice. Knowing more than one language also allows the choices you make to be more rationalized.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, people who are multilingual have increased cognitive skills, a key trait being inhibition. Inhibition allows you to learn faster as it lets you focus on new information easily. Since people who are multilingual have increased inhibition, studies show it’s easier for them to learn a third or fourth language or any skill faster than a monolingual.
Extra Active Brain
People who speak multiple languages have an extra active brain as the languages are constantly competing for attention and usage. The brains of multilingual people tend to show higher levels of activation to auditory stimuli overall, giving them an advantage in sensory processing. The actual structure of the brain is affected by this activity. Studies show that multilingual people have a higher density of grey matter in their brain. This grey matter is there because the brain is constantly processing information subconsciously in different languages trying to make connections.
Less Mental Decline In Old Age
Being multilingual doesn’t actually prevent you from developing dementia, but the good news is that it delays dementia’s effects. Studies show that people who are multilingual show symptoms of Alzheimer’s four to five years after people who are monolingual show symptoms. It’s shown that people who are multilingual who develop Alzheimer’s or dementia display less decay in cognitive abilities.
To conclude, there are so many benefits of being multilingual! Learning a new language can be intimidating, but there are so many rewards that come with doing so. Personally, I speak Spanish, English and French and I am trying to learn some conversational German. I think languages help bring people together and help broaden your horizons and the way we see the world. Plus, there are so many resources like duolingo to help you get started on your journey!