Benefits of Bilingualism

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Initially, it was popular belief that bilingualism was harmful to a child's performance in academics. The logic behind this was that, because a child spoke two languages, they would have to take time to sort through those languages in their heads in order to solve a certain problem in class. As research on this matter has become popular, however, it is becoming increasingly obvious that this is simply not the case.

As a matter of fact, scientists now believe that bilingualism actually makes you smarter. According to Valeries Flores, a Masters student in the Department of Psychology at Loyola University Chicago, being fluent in two languages increases one's skills in multitasking, attention, goal-oriented behavior, planning, and organization. These skills are known as "executive functions" and Flores utilized stroop tests to demonstrate how bilingualism can enhance them.

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With the stroop test, a word in presented to the participant (as shown above) and the participant is asked to record the color of the word. This task requires the participant to inhibit their response to read the word and respond to color instead. The words are flashed on screen for only a few seconds so that the participant has to react quickly. Flores administered this test to fluent, young adult bilinguals, comparing their performance to the performance of participants who only spoke one language. Flores discovered that bilingual participants were far better at performing this task than their monolingual counterparts, revealing that bilinguals had more advanced skills in inhibitory control, attention, and multitasking.

What exactly is it about bilinguals that makes them so advanced in executive functions? In his New York Times article, "Why Bilinguals are Smarter", Yudhijit Bhattacharjee states that the "key difference between bilinguals and monolinguals... is a heightened ability to monitor the environment." Bhattacharjee discusses a study in which German-Italian bilinguals and Italian monolinguals were tested on monitoring tasks. The results of this study show that bilinguals not only performed better, but they also required less brain activity than monolinguals while doing so. These findings coincide with Flores' stroop test study as she discovered that the monolingual participants were using much more activity in certain brain areas than the bilinguals when performing the same tasks. 

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The benefits of bilingualism go beyond the academic world and extend into our health in old age.  Tamar Gollan, a neuropsychologist at the University of California, San Diego, discovered that people fluent in two languages were more resistant to the onset dementia and Alzheimer's. According to Bhattacharjee, "the higher the degree of bilingualism, the later the age of onset"

With so many positive effects of bilingualism, we have no excuse not to pick-up that second language we always wanted to learn.  Sure, we'll get to help out our brains a little, but we'll also get the chance to vacation overseas!

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Sources

Bhattacharjee, Yudhijit. "Why Bilinguals are Smarter". New York Times. 17 March 2012. Web. 22 April 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?_r=0

Flores, Valerie. "Congitive Strengths Among Bilinguals". Loyola University Chicago Neuroscience Seminar. 15 April 2014.