Why Learning A New Language Can Make You Smarter

In an increasingly globalized world being able to speak two or more languages rather than just one has huge benefits. You can travel to foreign countries and converse will locals comfortably, become a much more competitive job applicant, and make new friends (as well as romantic partners) with people whose first language isn’t necessarily English.

However, the advantages of being bilingual are farther reaching than previously thought. A number of recent studies in this area have indicated it can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age. Speaking multiple languages, it turns out, makes you smarter. 

Being bilingual forces the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles. The experience improves the brain’s so-called executive functions — “a constellation of cognitive abilities that support goal-oriented behaviour including directing attentive focus, prioritizing, planning, self-monitoring, inhibitory control, judgment, working memory (maintenance and manipulation of information), and analysis” says Dr. Willis of Psychology Today.

Furthermore, research by neuropsychologist Tamar Gollan of the University of California, San Diego, found that individuals with a higher degree of bilingualism were more resistant than others to the onset of dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: the higher the degree of bilingualism, the later the age of onset.

Learning A New Language As An Adult

With so many potential benefits you would think everyone would want to be bilingual. And the truth is, many do. The trouble is, those who do not learn a second or third language at a young age (the majority) are unlikely to learn a new language in adulthood. Traditional language courses are expensive, consume a vast amount of time (many months worth of reading and lessons) in order to complete and other alternatives such as living abroad for a few months are simply unfeasible.

But, after some recent advaPimsleur Approach, named after Dr. Paul Pimsleur, and it works so effectively that both the FBI and NSA have used it.

nces into the understanding of how the human brain processes and interprets languages, an approach has been developed that can train anyone to speak a new language in just 10 days. It’s called the

Unlike traditional language learning methods that involve stacks of textbooks and the endless memorization of technical vocabulary, the Pimsleur Approach focusses on driving key information in a format the brain can easily consume. This means you can speak the most amount possible in the least amount of time. By focusing on this core learning pathway, anyone can learn a language within 10 days.