Brain Boggling Benefits of Bilingualism

When people are asked why learning a second language is important, some responses might be that it helps to communicate with a wider audience or it increases personal competitiveness in regards to the job market. While these still hold true, there is another reason why learning a second language is advantageous, and this one is a no-brainer: mental health. There has been increasing research into the benefits of bilingualism on the brain and its health which demonstrates amazing results.

According to research published in the journal Annals of Neurology and conducted by the University of Edinburgh, learning a second language had positive effects on the brain. This study tapped into intelligence test results of 853 subjects which were first tested in 1947. In 2010, the bilinguals of the group showed improvement in the areas of reading, verbal fluency and intelligence. This research also concluded that the improvement was not linked to the age at which the subjects started learning a language, so it is never too late to start learning a new language.

Another advantage to being able to speak a second language is an increase in attention and task-switching, according to research conducted by Ellen Bialystok at the University of York. This research made use of the Stroop test, which asks the individual to read the name of a particular color printed in colored ink that is not the same as the word. For example, the word “red” would be printed in blue ink. The research concluded that “bilinguals exhibited enhanced executive control in nonverbal tasks requiring conflict resolution.”

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, by 2014, approximately 5.2 million Americans will have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which affects the memory.

However, there is also research that concluded lifelong bilingualism can deter the symptoms of this disease. The study entitled “Delaying the onset of Alzheimer disease,” published in 2010 in the journal Neurology used 211 individuals who were diagnosed with probable Alzheimer disease. Out of these, 109 where monolingual, or only spoke one language and 102 were identified as bilingual. The study found that bilingual patients were diagnosed 4.3 years later than monolinguals and the onsets of symptoms were 5.1 years later than the monolingual patients.

College students might find the task of writing notes in class tedious because, very often, there is a lot of information and very little time to write it all down. This is where bilingualism can help. One of the benefits of being bilingual is it would help college students the most because it helps to sort out irrelevant information. A study made by the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain, found that bilinguals tend to focus better on their surroundings and on the information that they are presented with. In turn, they are able to gather the important information quickly and leave out the less relevant information.

There are many resources people can use to learn a second language, including online programs, books and courses. UST offers courses including Spanish, French, Latin, Russian and Arabic. These courses can be the first step towards bilingualism. Overall, learning a second language can be beneficial not only in creating connections to different cultures and building up your resume, but especially to the brain by keeping it constantly engagedandhealthy. 

Photo Courtesy / University of Arizona