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10 Superb Psychological Advantages of LearningAnother Language

Learning another language can promote brain growth, stave off

dementia, boost memory, improve attention and moreTo have another language is to possess a second soul.!harlemagne

People used to thin" that learning two languages created confusion in the mind#

$ar better, it was thought, to get one right than bother with two#

An even more e%treme and absurd view was that learning two languages caused

a "ind of schi&ophrenia or dual personality#

Some studies did seem to bac" up the idea that learning two languages could be

problematic' early researchers noted that bilingual people tended to have smaller

vocabularies and slower access to words#

(ut these myths and minor disadvantages have now been overshadowed by a

wave of new research showing the incredible psychological benefits of learning

another language# And these e%tend way beyond being able to order a cup of

coffee abroad or as" directions to your hotel#

1.Brain growth

Language centres in the brain actually grow as a result of successful language

learning# )he better you learn, the more those vital areas of the brain grow

*+rtensson et al#, -01-.#

2. Stave off dementia

(ilingualism delays Al&heimer/s disease in susceptible people by as much as five

years *!rai" et al#, -010.# Seems incredible, but the studies are continuing to

support this result# )o put this in conte%t the effect on dementia of learning

another language is much greater than anything achievable with the latest drugs#

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.06.043http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181fc2a1chttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.06.043http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181fc2a1c

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3. Hear language better

(eing bilingual can lead to improved listening s"ills, since the brain has to wor"

harder to distinguish different types of sounds in two or more languages *ri&man

et al#, -01-.#

4. Become more language sensitive

2nfants in bilingual households can distinguish languages they/ve never even

heard before *3er"er 4 Sebastian56alles, -011.# 7ust being e%posed to the

different sounds in, for e%ample, Spanish and !atalan, helps them tell the

difference between 8nglish and $rench#

5. Boost your memory

(abies brought up in a bilingual environment have stronger wor"ing memories

than those brought up with only one language *+orales et al#, -019.# )his means

they are better at mental calculation, reading and many other vital s"ills#

6. Better multitas!ing

(ilingual people can switch from one tas" to another more :uic"ly# )hey show

more cognitive fle%ibility and find it easier to adapt to une%pected circumstances*6old et al#, -019.

". #ncreased attention

(ilinguals have stronger control over their attention and are better able to limit

distractions *(ialysto" 4 !rai", -010.#

$. %ouble the activation

!ognitive boosts, li"e improved attention and better multi5tas"ing, may come

because bilingual people have both languages activated at the same time, and

must continually monitor which one is appropriate *$rancis, 1;;;.# All that

switching bac" and forth confers the mental benefits#

http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1201575109http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1201575109http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/uobc-iri021711.phphttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2012.09.002http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3837-12.2013http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0963721409358571http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jmla.1998.2610http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1201575109http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1201575109http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/uobc-iri021711.phphttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2012.09.002http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3837-12.2013http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0963721409358571http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jmla.1998.2610

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&. 'ew ways of seeing

Learning a new language can literally change the way you see the world#

Learning 7apanese, for e%ample, which has basic terms for light and dar" blue,

may help you perceive the colour in different ways *Athanasopoulos et al#, -010.#

1(. #m)rove your first language

Since learning a second language draws your attention to the abstract rules and

structure of language, it can ma"e you better at your first language#

As 6eoffrey 3illans said