Top 10 benefits of learning and speaking two or more languages
Bilinguals are people who speak two languages equally. Here, each of them is considered native. Such people not only speak and perceive two languages on the same level but also think in them. Depending on the environment or place, a person automatically switches to a language, sometimes without even noticing it.
1. WE BECOME SMARTER. Yes and no. Intelligence is a very broad concept, and learning a second language can contribute to its development. If learning a second language does not make us smarter, then at least it forces our brain to perform certain processes.
2. WE START THINKING MORE EFFECTIVELY. Cognitive strategies are related to the development of plans and programs to achieve the intended goal. Language is another tool in our heads. If a person speaks two languages, he has a double advantage over people who speak only one, because he has an expanded range of logical reasoning and classification systems.
3. IT DEVELOPS MEMORY. Using a second language forces our brains to use areas that are not normally used by the brains of people who speak only one language. This makes the brain more flexible and efficient. This knowledge contributes to the creation of new ways of associating information. People who speak a second language have more abilities or skills to remember and have a more developed memory.
4. IT IMPROVES ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION. Another factor that has a positive effect on learning a second language is our ability to pay attention and concentrate. The ability to select the most important information from the informative flow and ignore the one that is not of particular importance is a factor that contributes to the development of attention and concentration on a particular goal.
5. WE BEGIN TO BETTER UNDERSTAND OUR LANGUAGE. Every word in our language is connected with some concept, with some mental idea.
6. IT TAKES CARE OF OUR BRAIN. The ability to speak more than one language slows down the aging process of our brain and helps prevent or delay age-related diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
7. WE GET PROSPECTS FOR CAREER GROWTH. Foreign languages are one of the keys that open the door to a world of prestigious work. Not only because they are in great demand in almost any field but also because they expand the boundaries and allow you to find a great job.
8. IT HELPS BUILD SOCIAL RELATIONS. Our social relations develop more intensively when we learn new languages. It allows changing our social life for the better for two reasons. One is — the more languages you know, the more people you can get in touch with, and, the second — helping to gain a higher level of security and self-confidence.
9. WE DISCOVER NEW CULTURES AND NEW IDEAS. Another advantage of being able to speak another language is the opportunity to learn about new cultures.
10. WE DISCOVER OUR CREATIVE POTENTIAL. The brain of those who speak two languages is more flexible and well trained, it has greater access to memories, pays more attention to everything, and better concentrates on the task. And it’s not surprising that in such a brain the processes of creative activity are developing more actively than in the brain of a native speaker of only one language.
