Being raised in a bilingual household can bring unexpected brain benefits that last a lifetime, according to a new study.
- The cognitive faculties developed for the early learning of several languages last a lifetime
- The ability to adapt and deal with complex problems is greater for children raised in bilingual homes
Featured in Scientific Reports, the research involved the participation of 127 bilingual adults. Some were so-called “early bilinguals” – that is, people who learned a second language in childhood – while others learned to speak a second language later in life. .
Carried out by researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (England), the study took place in two separate experiments: the first consisted of looking at two images on a screen, one of which gradually changed and another which remained static. The early bilinguals were faster than the other participants to identify the gradual changes in the pictures.
The second experiment demonstrated a greater capacity for concentration in early bilinguals, in particular an ease in diverting their attention from one image to focus on another.
Useful faculties to decipher body language
Overall, the early bilinguals showed greater visual acuity and speed than the adults who participated in the study. Cognitive faculties acquired and linked to the learning of several languages in childhood which therefore continue into adulthood, conclude the authors of the study.
“This adaptation can help them take advantage of multiple sources of visual information, such as mouth movements, facial expressions and subtle gestures, which ultimately helps them learn multiple languages,” says Dr. D’Souza, a lecturer in psychology at Anglia Ruskin University and lead author of the study.
This research is not the first to look at the brain benefits of learning multiple languages early. According to an American study published in 2016 in the journal Developmental Science, bilingual children present more developed executive functions than monolingual children. These areas of the brain include the ability to adapt to new situations, to manage several things at the same time or to solve complex problems.
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