People who have the ability to speak two or more languages have greater cognitive advantages over those who know only one. Brain scans show that polyglots have more grey matter than monolinguals. The brain’s grey matter functions as an information processor, containing most of the brain’s neurons responsible for vision, hearing, memory, emotions, muscle control, decision making, language, and self-control.
A study by the Georgetown University Medical Centre in Washington DC reveals that knowing two languages forces the brain to exercise more cognitive control in using these languages correctly; hence the increase in grey matter. More cognitive control translates to increased memory power, improved creativity and problem-solving abilities, better spatial skills, and the like.
It is interesting however to point out that somehow sign language does not seem to count as a language with its own vocabulary. No volume difference in the brain imagery was discerned between strict monolinguals and monolinguals who have the added knowledge of sign language.
The Benefits of Knowing More than One Language
Aside from having social and career advantages, being able to speak to two or more languages can signal that one may be a little bit smarter or more mentally agile than his one-language-only peers.
Stronger Memory and Learning Power
It takes learning, memorizing, and remembering a lot of vocabulary, nuances, and grammatical structures to build up a fluency in a certain language. Such a feat requires fast learning and the ability to retain what one has learned. Multilingual speakers task their brains more when they need to use the right words as they have to shift to different grammatical rules, culture, and context in order to communicate in the language they choose to speak. It can be expected then of polyglots to possess better working memory than monolinguals.
Multitasking Savvy
Polyglots are more adept at multitasking than monolingual people. A bilingual or multilingual person is endowed with the enviable skills of switching efficiently between two languages differing in words, meanings, and sentence structures. Switching rapidly between two or more languages drives the brain to focus on the task at hand in order to avoid errors and to communicate efficiently. This innately practiced ability lends the multilinguist better capabilities at multi-tasking which requires unerring focal transitions between different tasks at hand.
Divergent Thinking
Polyglots tend to exhibit more divergent thinking than their one-language peers. Divergent thinking “opens your mind in all directions.” This means a divergent thinker looks for outside-the-box options, options that are not apparent or predetermined. It is looking at a problem at different angles and coming up with different solutions. Divergent thinking then is a mark of creativity and above average problem-solving skills.
A 2012 Iranian study gathered a group of 16-18 year old Iranian students. Part of this group was bilingual (the students have learned English for six years); the rest only spoke their own language. Researchers made sure that the participants had common factors such as IQ and social status, making the only difference in the two groups, knowledge of more than one language. Using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT), researchers found firm results that the bilingual group outperformed the monolingual one in all areas of the test which assessed four areas: flexibility, originality, fluency, and elaboration.
The scientists concluded that the findings were such because polyglots need to be more alert in order to prevent one language with its own set of rules and vocabulary to be confused with the other language/s. Hence, bilinguals and multilinguals are adept at switching focus between tasks, ignoring distractions, and remembering newly learned information. In addition, when people learn a new language, they are exposed to the culture, nuances, and perspectives of the country they are learning about. These often novel and out-of-the-ordinary information, coupled with their own experience, gain them newer perspectives by which to view the world. Polyglots then garner more creative thoughts and better analytical abilities because of their higher divergent thinking capabilities over that of monolinguals.
Cognitive Advantage in Old Age
Because language knowledge is dynamic (new vocabulary, idioms, etc.), speaking more than one language is a highly stimulating activity for the brain. Stimulating mental activity can prevent or delay the onset of dementia. If one is predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease, the symptoms can be significantly delayed by as much as five years.
Learning another language or becoming bilingual could benefit one more than just being able to understand or converse with other language speaking people. Sure learning your grandmother’s German can be tough; but, being fluent in more than one language can condition your mind to become sharper, more creative, and more flexible in thought. What’s more, you get to add to your skill set, raising your career potentials.
Keep those mental gears rolling. It is never too late to learn and earn a new tongue.
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