Being Bilingual

According to Language Surfer.com, there are many benefits to being bilingual. In addition to being way cooler than monolingual people, there are some scientifically proven benefits.

These include:

1. Your mental focus improves.

Research has shown that bilingual children perform better on problem-solving tests, completing tasks quicker and more adeptly. But why?

Your brain has something called the “executive control system”. It allows your brain to focus on relevant information, which allows you to juggle multiple topics better. In other words, a well-functioning executive control system means your mind is both attentive and quick. The research suggests that being bilingual challenges your brain in a way that improves your executive control system.

2. You can make more rational decisions.

A team of scientists at the University of Chicago studied how thinking in a foreign language affects decision-making. Humans tend to make bad decisions because our brains are influenced by irrational biases. The University of Chicago scientists found that thinking in a foreign-language dramatically reduces our decision-making bias and helps us make more rational decisions.

3. You delay Alzheimer’s.

Research on patients with Alzheimer’s reports that bilingual patients reported the onset of symptoms 5 years later than monolingual patients. The conclusion that scientists took from this is that being bilingual helps delay, but not prevent, Alzheimer’s. In simpler terms, knowing two languages helps keep your mind sharp and delays dementia.

4. You see the world in a different way.

Language is not static like computer code, but language is still code – it’s just dynamic. Each language has its own code. For example, color. Speakers of English use the word “blue” to describe a wide range of colors along the color spectrum, while Japanese speakers use their word for “blue” to describe a narrow range. Japanese speakers also have words for light blue and dark blue. Colors are measurable. How do languages handle more abstract concepts like “love,” “liberty,” and “value”? Being bilingual means being able to understand the world according to two different groups of codes.

5. You can listen better.

Being bilingual changes how your brain processes sound. The science is complicated and a little crazy, but basically your auditory system is automatically better at processing sound because you learn to listen for two distinct sounds in the two languages you speak.

6. Your SAT performance improves.

According to the Center for Applied Linguistics, students who took four or more years of a foreign language scored higher on the verbal section of the SAT.

7. You have more options for expressing emotions.

Emotions are expressed through language and affect the way we express emotions. Different languages are easier for expressing different emotions. The language from the passionate culture might make it easier for you to express emotions such as rage, love, or fear.

Wrapping Up

So you want to be bilingual? What now? Get going! Start learning. Oh wait, you’re actually in a Spanish course right now! Perfect timing! I hope this year will be as awesome for you as it will be for me.