Health Benefits Of Learning Languages

Languages shape us in many ways and forms. The way we talk, write, relate to others and even our cultural profile are, to a variable extent, defined by the language we speak. Learning a new language is very common among young adults, and it can only broaden their cultural perspectives and enrich their lives.

Acquiring a foreign language can be motivated by school programs, personal interests or circumstances alone. Being multilingual brings obvious benefits in terms of better communication and career options. What is not really obvious for most people is that learning languages can be good for your general health as well, at least for your mental health.

The brain is the central organ of language. It is responsible for processing the sounds we hear, giving them a meaning and formulating an adequate response to those same sounds. Learning a new language is a type of workout for the brain, as language learning forces the brain to jump between languages so much so that it can actually physically change its structure. And these physical changes, which include a denser gray matter, can turn out to be very beneficial to our health, particularly at an older age.

Bilingualism delays the onset of mental decline in Alzheimer's disease patients

For instance, bilingualism can be a method of preserving cognition, thus delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Canadian scientist Fergus Craik and colleagues collected the data from 211 patients with a probable diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, approximately half of whom were bilingual and the other half spoke just one language.

Other factors such as education, occupational history, gender and immigration status that also can influence the rate of the onset of cognitive decline were taken into account to assure that the observed effect is not connected to one of them, and the research team still concluded that speaking multiple languages offers a protective effect against Alzheimer's disease.

Such a statistically significant difference does, in fact, suggest that lifelong bilingualism can serve as some sort of protection for the onset of Alzheimer's disease. However, it is important to note that there does not seem to be any additional benefits to people who know three or more languages compared to those who are just bilingual. It seems that the language-switching exercise itself, rather than the volume of linguistic information or general knowledge recorded by the brain, plays a key role in the observed phenomenon. The benefits of bilingualism in terms of delayed onset of dementia are observed even in bilingual people who are illiterate and have practically no education.

See Also: Language Development In Bilingual Children

Some time ago, a study similar to Craik's research was published. A group of investigators looked at the case records of 648 patients with dementia in this case, and concluded that bilingual patients presented with signs and symptoms of dementia approximately 4.5 years later than monolingual patients. It was precisely in the group of patients with Alzheimer's disease that the difference in age at onset is more striking, therefore corroborating the findings of Craik's team.

Bilingualism Enhances Cognitive And Information Processing Abilities In Both Children And Adults

Although the impact of bilingualism in cognitive abilities is of high value, it is not the only positive effect of learning a new language that has been documented. In a study conducted with participation of 48 high school students from Chicago, bilingualism was found to have a strong correlation with an enhanced ability to process sounds. Because of the diversity of phonetic, phonological and grammatical structures that bilingual individuals are exposed to, their listening skills were significantly improved compared to those of monolingual individuals. This has many benefits, including in communication and music appreciation.

Having kids learn a new language is not only an investment in their professional future, but also in their health. In a combined effort of Spanish and Canadian researchers, a study published in early 2013 reveals that bilingual children can retrieve memories more quickly and with more accuracy than monolingual children. They have what is called a better working memory, in other words. Working memory is crucial to cognitive development, and its precocious development by bilingual children is important evidence for the developmental effects of experience.

Knowing more than one language enhance multiple brain functions associated with everyday activities

Bilingualism also helps aging individuals to maintain the youthful cognitive control abilities. This means that, in spite of the natural aging, individuals that speak two languages maintain a certain easiness and flexibility in adapting to new circumstances and have a task-switching reaction time advantageous in relation to their monolingual counterparts. In short, older people who know more than one language keep their cognitive flexibility until later in life.

Other skills are of immense help when people learn a new language.

Better writing and editing skills are a natural consequence of being more familiar with and being more aware of language and the ways it can be structured and manipulated.

See Also: Brain Scans Show Ages Two To Four As "Critical Window" For Language Development

The general observation that mentally active people have lower chances to suffer from dementia in the old age was made a long time ago. Evidence that emerged with new research suggest that learning a second language is one of the most efficient tools towards this aim. Learning foreign languages is a great exercise for the mind. It develops new areas of the brain and strengthens its ability to focus, process information and maintain good cognitive skills in general. As cognition is such an important element of the mind, it is easy to understand why exercising our cognitive abilities can help to maintain our mental health.

Beyond these researched benefits of learning a new language, it is also feasible that speaking more than one language helps to make us more resilient and adaptable, as well as allowing us to be more open-minded about other cultures. In a practical sense, languages open doors to friendships and experiences, which are key to mental health.