Why being bilingual helps keep your brain fit
In a recent article by Gaia Vince, Why being bilingual helps keep your brain fit, she mentions a number of advantages that bilinguals have over monolinguals.
One advantage that bilingual individuals have over monolingual individuals is their ability to exercise their executive control all the time because their two languages are constantly competing for attention. Being bilingual also helps individuals to build self-confidence. According to the author, many bilinguals say they feel like a different person when they speak their other language.
“Bilinguals perform these tasks much better than monolinguals – they are faster and more accurate,” says Athanasopoulos. And that suggests their executive systems are different from monolinguals’.
Studies also suggest that being bilingual could keep our minds working longer and better into old age, which could have a massive impact on how we school our children and treat older people.
It is never too late to learn a second language. Find out how you can keep your brain fit by clicking here.