Language Learning Really Does Boost Your Brain Power

Language Learning Keeps The Brain In Shape And Boosts Mental Function

It seems that learning another language and speaking it on a regular basis can actually boost the performance of your brain and ward off the onset of degenerative diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer’s and dementia(Check below for Vocabulary & Idiom Check)

language student with model of brain

Numerous studies have shown that language study develops the brain’s ability to change its structure as a result of stimulation. Apparently, learning another language alters grey matter – the area of the brain that processes information – in the same way that regular physical training builds muscle strength and endurance .

Multilingual speakers have to alternate between two or more languages and all this switching has a great training affect on the brain’s capacity. Like regular strength training improves muscle mass, switching between languages gives the cognitive ‘muscles’ a terrific workout.

This improves a bilingual speaker’s capacity to maintain focus and shift between a variety tasks in a way that a monolingual speaker is more likely to struggle with. Bilingual speakers can often outperform single-language speakers in mental tasks such as editing out irrelevant information and focusing on what’s important. In general, bilinguals are better at prioritising and multi-tasking, too.

Recent studies also suggest that bilingual speakers hold dementia and Alzheimer’s disease at bay for up to four years longer on average compared with those who only speak one language.

Unfortunately, everyone’s brain  goes downhill with age but scientists have found that at every stage of life it functions better in bilinguals. Learning another language won’t stop you from getting Alzheimer’s but it can certainly help you to better cope with its symptoms and delay its distressing effects for longer.

Learning a new language always throws up challenges, and like anything challenging you will no doubt experience frustration and doubts about your ability to succeed.  So, next time you are sitting in your English class and grappling with that tricky past perfect tense or making a fool of yourself with your  erroneous use of tones in your Mandarin Chinese lesson, remember that it really is worth staying the distance!  Why? Because bilingualism is very good for your brain!

Vocabulary & Idiom Check

boost  –  help or encourage (something) to increase or improve
onset  –  he beginning of something, especially something unpleasant
degenerative  –  progressive deterioration of bodily organs or tissues
Alzheimer’s  –  progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age
dementia  –  brain disease marked by memory disorders, personality changes
alternate  –  occur in turn, repeatedly
switching  –  changing the position, direction or focus
multilingual  –  the ability to speak several different languages
bilingual  –  speaking two languages fluently
monolingual  –  speaking only one language
cognitive  –  of or relating to intellectual activity such as thinking, reasoning or remembering
shift  –  move or cause to move
outperform  –  perform better than
irrelevant  –  not closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand
prioritising  –  listing or rating something in order of importance or priority
multi-tasking  –  handling more than one task at the same time
to hold (something) at bay  –  to control something and prevent it from causing you problems
got go down hill  –  to get progressively worse
throws up  –  produce or reveal something new or unexpected
grappling  –  struggling or working hard to deal with or overcome something difficult
tricky  –  difficult or challenging
erroneous  –  incorrect
stay the distance  –  pursue a difficult task or activity to the end

What Happens To Your Brain When You Learn a New Language

Sources & Related Articles

How To Supercharge Your Memory For Learning Foreign Languages

Health Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language – 7 Reasons Why Language Learning is Great For Your Health

 

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay in Touch

Categories

Privacy Preference Center

Analytics

This website's integration of Google Analytics anonymizes your IP address. Read full Privacy Policy for further information and ways to opt-out, or move the button below to OFF to opt-out of Google Analytics on this website.

_ga Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. _gat Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rate. _gid Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website.

Google Analytics (with anonymized IP) _ga, _gat, and _gid

Other

Shares