Being Bilingual Boosts Brain Power

A recent study done by the College University in London and published in Nature magazine has proven that learning a second language helps develop the part of the brain in charge of verbal fluency.

Bilingual people have more gray matter in a specific part of the brain and their brains have gone through structural changes due to the experience of learning a second language. This could help us understand why learning a new language is easier for bilingual people than for monolingual people.

Those who are bilingual have an advantage over the rest of us, and not just in terms of communication skills. The bilingual brain develops more densely, giving it an advantage in various abilities and skills.

The research found that the extent of the changes in the brain is inversely proportional to the age at which a second language is learned. For example: if a child learns a second language before the age of 5, the changes in the brain are greater than the ones experienced in a 10 year old child.
So it seems, that we should add bilingualism to the list of great things parents would want for their children.

Bilingual Brains Do Better

The brain has two types of tissue visible to the naked eye, named gray and white matter. Gray matter makes up the bulk of nerve cells within the brain. Studies have shown an association with gray matter density (or volume and intellect), especially in areas of language, memory, and attention.Brain imaging showed that bilingual speakers had denser gray matter compared with monolingual participants.

The difference was especially significant in the brain’s left side — an area known to control language and communication skills. The right hemisphere of bilingual speakers also showed a similar trend.

Of course, while it might seem easier to pick up a second language as a child, it’s still possible to do so as an adult. In his book: "Saving your brain", Dr. Jeff Victoroff, a neurologist graduated from Harvard, has described the benefits of learning a new language for adults. He describes the journey as an amazing exercise for the brain, since it helps preserve mental health as we age, reducing the risk of suffering mental illnesses such as Alzheimer.

“Our findings suggest that the structure of the human brain is altered by the experience of acquiring a second language,” write the researchers of the journal Nature.