Motivations for learning a language vary widely, but one thing all language learners have in common is that the new skill will literally change how your brain works - for the better.
You will improve the overall health of your brain long term and reduce your chances of developing degenerative brain diseases. But there’s also lots of more immediate cognitive benefits to learning a second language.
For example, language acquisition will enhance many of your interpersonal skills such as communication and empathy. Furthermore you are likely to become better at problem solving and multitasking too.
How Learning a Language Physically Alters The Brain?
Enhanced Grey Matter Density
The grey matter of the brain is named after its pinkish-grey colour and is made up of lots of interconnected nerve cells called neurons. It’s the concentration of these cells, i.e. the grey matter density, that indicates how healthy a brain is.
Learning a language is one of the best ways to increase the amount of neurons firing in the brain. Because not only does it make new ones, it constantly strengthens existing ones. And if a neuron isn’t used often enough, it will eventually just shrink and die.
It is therefore generally the case that bilingual brains are on the whole healthier than monolingual ones because they are simply being challenged and exercised more.
Increased White Matter
White matter is the fatty substance in the brain that contains the nerve fibres which physically connect the neurons to each other. Its job is to conduct and process nerve signals between the four quadrants of the brain and also up and down the spinal column.
Not only does it make up around 60% of the brain, it is also still developing throughout the 20’s and doesn’t peak until middle age. But from there onwards it degenerates and this is what primarily affects the brain becoming less sharp the older it gets.
However, when another language is learned, many new neural pathways are formed and the integrity of cerebral white matter is therefore enhanced. This allows for more efficient interaction between the different hemispheres of the brain and slows the ageing of the brain.
The Cognitive Benefits of Language Learning
Improved Concentration
Studies have shown that language acquisition results in overall upgrades in executive function. In particular, it improves concentration by strengthening the brain's natural ability to focus.
This is because navigating communicating in different languages means having to constantly ignore irrelevant information in order to be able to focus on what you need i.e. the correct word or sentence structure.
With lots of practice, this process of language switching becomes automatic. But even subconsciously, a bilingual brain is still working really hard behind the scenes to block out distractions and misinformation.
And it’s this muscle memory that isn’t just limited to language learning skills, it applies to other tasks too. So you can expect your listening skills in noisy places and focus when reading a tricky subject matter to be boosted too.
Enhanced Planning Abilities
The ability to plan ahead is a complex executive function that is closely linked to academic achievement. It involves evaluation and prioritisation of an appropriate sequence of behaviours and actions that will lead to the desired goal.
And the reason multilingual brains are good at it is because they do it all the time while they are constantly switching between two or more languages.
They first have to detect which language is being spoken, then draw from a huge pool of multilingual vocabulary before applying different grammatical rules to make sure what they are about to say makes sense. It’s a very sophisticated skill.
Improved Multitasking
It is once again the executive functioning system that is the basis for multitasking and there have been numerous studies where bilinguals have been shown to outperform monolinguals on tasks requiring executive functioning.
This is because the cognitive demands of managing two or more languages leads to increases in the brain’s flexibility. The skill of code switching between languages, especially in response to a change in social context, constantly practises the task switching muscle in general.
So don’t be surprised that with dual language activation you become more efficient at focusing on more than one thing on your to do list at a time.
Better Communication Skills
People who speak more than one language tend to be better at solving complex problems. This is most likely due to their brain’s ability to approach problems from multiple perspectives as they do when switching between languages.
This in turn also makes them better communicators. That is to say multilingual brains are often much more competent at seeing a situation from other people’s viewpoints.
Bilinguals also have a heightened ability to process sound, not just spoken words, and to understand multiple overlapping audio stimuli.
This strengthening of the attention centre of the brain not only makes people who speak more than one language better listeners. They also tend to be much more adept at picking up on nuances in conversations that monolingual brains may not.
Enhanced Creativity
The very nature of building a sentence in a new language is a form of self expression. Word choice, intonation, slang, there’s so much stylistic choice.
And so it stands to reason that regardless of the age that you start, another area of executive functioning where bilinguals outshine monolinguals is on the creativity front.
Not only do they score higher in divergent thinking tests (that is to say they are better at connecting concepts from distant categories), but because they also have exposure to multiple cultures, they tend to have access to a wider reserve of ideas and experiences to draw on.
Stronger Sense of Empathy
There appears to be a strong link between multilingualism and a sense of empathy. And in fact most people who speak more than one language have a higher score of emotional intelligence.
This most likely stems from the fact that multilingual people have a greater understanding and appreciation of different cultures and perspectives. They learn how to negotiate between two different cultural worlds while at the same time understanding both.
As a result, learning another language, whatever your age can make you more open-minded and accepting of others, which in turn leads to greater empathy and tolerance.
Reduced Chances of Developing a Degenerative Brain Disease
Studies have shown that people who speak a second or third language can improve memory to the extent that it can delay the onset of dementia by an average of 5 years.
The research found that the extent to which they use their second language was significantly correlated to activity in key neural networks. Simply put, learning a second language is difficult and makes the brain work harder.
And whatever your age, exercising the brain to retain and recall words and grammar structures in different languages is one of the best kinds of brain workouts you can do.
This is because it shocks the brain; it’s a novelty. And therefore forces it to increase connectivity in certain areas, helping to protect against degeneration. What’s more, these people are able to cope with a greater level of brain dysfunction than monolinguals.
In Conclusion
The advantages of language acquisition are so far reaching that it’s hard to find any real downsides to it. And because you are never too old to gain the cognitive benefits of learning a new language, there’s no better time to start than the present.
At Lingoo we offer a wide range of language learning immersion experiences for all budgets. All you need to do is head over and set up your free profile to get started today.