How learning another language benefits your brain

One of the most famous stories in the Bible tells us that different languages ​​were the result of a punishment. In Babel we had the greed to build a tower to touch the sky and, for this, we were condemned to speak multiple languages ​​and not understand each other. Beyond the myth, at some point we have experienced the frustration of not understanding a foreigner or of suffering, as adults, from being immersed in another language. However, learning other languages ​​opens up a fascinating world of possibilities that go beyond mere communication.

Over the years, the impact of bilingualism has been studied and it has been discovered that it supports and amplifies the plasticity of our brain. It helps us to be more mentally flexible and improves our attention and memory. It even prevents us from cognitive problems futures. However, these advantages are not always considered in everyday life, as explained by Jesús C. Guillén, neuroscientist and doctor in Educational Sciences from the University of Barcelona. What’s more, different surveys carried out just a decade ago to teachers from the United Kingdom, Holland and several countries Latin America They have shown that there is a widespread “neuromyth” that it is better to strengthen a first language before learning a second. But science is disproving this.

We are born with the innate ability to learn different languages. Even before they can speak, living in bilingual environments helps children improve their ability to cognitive control. If we learn more languages ​​as we grow up, our brain generates new neural connections that will accompany us throughout our lives, as stated by Dr. Ana Muñoz, president of the Association of Spanish Scientists in the United States and recognized with the highest award for bilingual teachers in that country, granted by ATDLE (The Association of Two-Way & Dual Language Education). “When children are exposed to other languages, the important thing is not that they understand them, but that their brain incorporates new phonemes and melodies.” With such training, bilingualism allows us to decode information in different formats (when we see a feline, for example, we think of it as a cat, in English), which allows us to train different points of view.

Logically, learning languages ​​is easier when we are younger. We are more permeable and exposure to a second language, ideally, should begin before the age of seven and through social interactions. It does not seem that the same benefits are obtained if we place the youngest children in front of a screen, as demonstrated by different studies. studies in the acquisition of Chinese and English. Bilingualism also favors the perception of the colors or learning a third language more easily, according to many experts. It has even been proven that children born prematurelybilingualism helps them to strengthen executive functions that may have been less developed. However, this learning is not without some small tolls that must be paid along the way.

“Bilingual people tend to be slower when it comes to naming objects in any of their languages, including their dominant one,” says Dr. Guillén. Apparently, their learning is not as fast and they have a smaller vocabulary in their native language. However, their advantages seem to gain ground over time. According to some studies carried out in Europe, America and Asia, bilingualism helps to delay the symptoms associated with dementia by four to five years thanks to the increase in cognitive reserve and greater cortical thickness in executive regions in our brain.

The advantages of bilingualism are not limited to those who were exposed to a second language as children. As I heard one middle-aged person say, “Languages ​​are learned because our parents paid for them or because we paid for them ourselves.” Well, even if we are in the latter group, studying a second language also has a positive impact in adulthood, as was demonstrated in Graduates university students. Those who learned other languages ​​developed better attention when alternating tasks.

In short, the “condemnation” of the Babel myth in our face-to-face conversations may one day disappear thanks to technology. However, learning other languages ​​and encouraging bilingual contexts for our children helps with more than just improving communication or cultural immersion: it makes our brain more flexible and allows us to develop different points of view on the same problem. And as Dr. Muñoz sums up: “If intelligence allows us to make better decisions, we may be able to conclude that bilingualism also makes us smarter.”

_