Do You Speak More Than One Language?
More than half the world can speak more than one language! This means that they are either bilingual (able to speak two languages) or multilingual (able to speak more than two languages). If you fit into any of these descriptions, heads up! Your brain actually might be different from others, and even benefit you!
Better Problem-Solving Skills + Controlled Mind
Being multilingual means you often switch between different languages purposefully or unknowingly. Therefore, it is easier for you to “control” your mind because you are already doing it when you go from one language to another. At the same time, you might also be more creative because like I said, when you switch languages, you are also switching your mindset (Trust me. When using one language, you are probably not thinking the same things you are when you are using the other language). You already know how to look at things from different perspectives!
Making More Buddies
Let’s see. Imagine you speak both English and Chinese. There is a new student in your class, who recently came from China and only knows how to speak Chinese. Since you speak their language, you can talk to them and possibly befriend them, unlike other students, who might only speak English. You can talk with a greater number of people!
Learning Is Better and Easier
When you learn one language, that language might help you learn others! Maybe you can speak Spanish… Spanish is very similar to other languages like Italian, so it might be way easier for you to learn it! Or maybe you speak Korean, it is also a little similar to Japanese so that could definitely help you out.
In the Long Run... When you are Old…. and Old…
You’ve probably heard of memory diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, etc. If you have not, these are nasty diseases that attack people, especially the elderly, and cause them to slowly forget everything, including their name, their family, how to put on clothes or take a bath, and more. Of course, being multilingual is a very helpful tool to have when you are younger, or at least, a middle-aged adult. However, it is also a life-saving tool for people nearing old age because speaking more than one language exercises your brain (and no, I do not mean that your brain is running on a treadmill). Many elderly people who are bilingual or multilingual turn out to get those memory diseases way later than they would have if they only spoke one language.
Photo Source: nytimes.com
