Is being bilingual good for you brain? | BBC Ideas

Summary

This script reveals the cognitive benefits of bilingualism, debunking past misconceptions. Bilinguals not only enhance concentration, problem-solving, and creativity but also delay dementia onset by 4.5 years on average. The 2007 study by Ellen Bialystok confirmed cognitive reserve, which protects against age-related cognitive decline. Learning languages, especially in childhood, builds neural networks and boosts cognitive reserve. Recent studies show early bilingualism strengthens brain connectivity at rest, and bilinguals can perceive alternate viewpoints and react differently in each language, enriching personal and societal experiences.

Takeaways

• 😌 Contrary to past beliefs, being bilingual is beneficial and not detrimental to cognitive development.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Learning a new language is like exercising the mind, with bilingualism enhancing concentration, problem-solving, memory, and creativity.
• 🧠 Bilingual brains have all languages active simultaneously, which involves constant mental effort and can improve cognitive functions.
• 📚 A 2007 study by Ellen Bialystok and her team found that bilingual individuals develop dementia later than monolinguals, supporting the concept of cognitive reserve.
• 💡 Cognitive reserve refers to a 'bank' of thinking abilities that protect against cognitive decline and delay dementia onset.
• 🔑 Learning a new language, especially one that is complex, can significantly boost cognitive reserve.
• 👶 The brain's plasticity allows for the formation of new neural networks when learning a language as a child.
• 🤓 Learning languages later in life involves modifying existing neural networks, which can be more challenging but potentially offer greater benefits.
• 🧐 A 2023 study at Great Ormond Street Hospital found that early bilingual children exhibited stronger connectivity in resting brain networks.
• 🌐 Bilingualism can enhance the ability to understand different perspectives and react more emotionally in one's first language and more rationally in the second.
• 🌟 The benefits of bilingualism extend beyond cognitive advantages, fostering cultural experiences and societal connections.

Q & A

What was the common misconception about bilingualism in the past?

In the past, it was believed that being bilingual could be a disadvantage, potentially causing confusion or holding people back, especially in children.

How does learning a new language benefit the brain?

Learning a new language is akin to exercising the mind, similar to going to the gym. It involves the continuous effort of switching between languages, which exercises the brain, improving concentration, problem-solving, memory, and creativity.

What is cognitive reserve and how does it relate to bilingualism?

Cognitive reserve is the idea that individuals develop a reserve of thinking abilities that protect against cognitive losses due to aging and disease, and delay the onset of dementia. Bilingual people have been shown to have a larger cognitive reserve.

What significant discovery about bilingualism was made by Ellen Bialystok and her team in 2007?

Ellen Bialystok's team discovered that bilingual individuals develop dementia on average four to 4.5 years later than those who only speak one language, confirming the concept of cognitive reserve.

What is the best time to learn a new language according to the script?

The script suggests that learning a new language as a child involves building new neural networks, while learning later in life requires modifying existing networks and making more connections, which can be more challenging but also provide greater benefits.

What did the 2023 study at Great Ormond Street find about the brain activity of early bilinguals?

The study found that early bilingual children had the strongest connectivity in a network at rest, which is associated with mind wandering, similar to how muscles might appear larger at rest due to regular exercise.

How does bilingualism affect a person's ability to understand different perspectives?

Bilingualism enhances the ability to see other people's perspectives or understand that different points of view are possible, which is a lesser-known behavioral effect of being bilingual.

What emotional differences are there between reacting in one's first language versus a second language?

Recent studies suggest that people tend to react more emotionally in their first language and more rationally in their second language, possibly due to the different contexts in which each language is learned and used.

What are some of the societal benefits of learning new languages?

Learning new languages can open doors to new cultural experiences, life opportunities, different people, communities, and different ways of seeing the world, benefiting not just individuals but also societies.

What is the script's final message regarding the importance of learning new languages?

The script emphasizes that learning new languages and speaking more than one language is very important for both individual and societal benefits, including cognitive advantages and cultural enrichment.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Benefits of Bilingualism and Cognitive Reserve

This paragraph discusses the misconceptions about bilingualism and the cognitive benefits it offers. It explains that being bilingual is not only beneficial but also akin to exercising the mind, improving concentration, problem-solving, memory, and creativity. The paragraph highlights a 2007 study by Ellen Bialystok that showed bilingual individuals develop dementia later than monolinguals, supporting the concept of cognitive reserve. Cognitive reserve is described as a 'thinking reserve' that protects against cognitive decline due to aging and disease. Bilingualism is suggested to enhance this reserve, with the complexity of language learning contributing positively to cognitive abilities.

05:02

👶 Early vs. Late Language Learning Impact

The second paragraph delves into the timing of language learning and its effects on the brain. It contrasts learning a new language as a child, which involves building new neural networks, with learning later in life, which requires modifying existing networks. A 2023 study at Great Ormond Street Hospital is mentioned, which examined brain activity in children aged 8 to 10, including monolinguals and two groups of bilinguals with different exposure times to a second language. The study found that early bilinguals had stronger connectivity in resting-state networks, suggesting enhanced cognitive connectivity due to early language learning. The paragraph also touches on the behavioral effects of bilingualism, such as the ability to perceive different viewpoints and emotional versus rational reactions in one's first and second languages, respectively.

Keywords

💡Bilingual

Bilingual refers to the ability of an individual to use two languages fluently and effectively. In the context of the video, it highlights the cognitive benefits of being bilingual, such as improved concentration, problem-solving, memory, and creativity. The script emphasizes that bilingualism is not a hindrance but a mental exercise that enhances cognitive reserve, which is the brain's capacity to compensate for age-related cognitive decline.

💡Cognitive Reserve

Cognitive Reserve is the concept that some individuals have a greater capacity to withstand cognitive decline due to their mental agility and complexity of cognitive networks. The video script explains that bilingual individuals have been shown to have a higher cognitive reserve, which can delay the onset of dementia by several years, as first suggested by a 2007 study.

💡Dementia

Dementia is a general term for a decline in cognitive ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. The script mentions that bilingual people develop dementia later in life compared to monolingual individuals, underscoring the protective effect of cognitive reserve associated with bilingualism.

💡Language Acquisition

Language Acquisition is the process of learning a new language. The video discusses the timing of language learning, suggesting that learning a language as a child builds new neural networks, while learning later in life modifies existing networks, potentially leading to greater cognitive benefits.

💡Brain Connectivity

Brain Connectivity refers to the functional and structural linkages between different regions of the brain. The script describes a study where early bilingual children showed stronger connectivity in a network at rest, which is likened to the brain being 'better connected' due to the mental exercise of early language learning.

💡Early Bilinguals

Early Bilinguals are individuals who are exposed to two languages from birth. The video script uses this term to describe a group of children in a study who showed enhanced brain connectivity at rest, suggesting that early exposure to bilingualism positively impacts brain function.

💡Later Bilinguals

Later Bilinguals are those who learn a second language after their initial years of life. The video script contrasts early bilinguals with later bilinguals, indicating that while later learners face more challenges, they may also experience greater cognitive benefits.

💡Cognitive Benefits

Cognitive Benefits refer to the positive effects on mental processes such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. The video emphasizes that bilingualism provides cognitive benefits by regularly exercising the brain through the process of language learning and use.

💡Mental Challenge

Mental Challenge is the cognitive effort required to perform tasks that involve thinking and learning. The script mentions the mental challenge of suppressing one language while speaking another and switching between languages as a form of brain exercise that contributes to cognitive reserve.

💡Perception

Perception is the process by which the brain organizes and interprets sensory information. The video script suggests that learning a new language can affect perception, as language learning involves not only vocabulary but also understanding different sounds and concepts.

💡Cultural Experiences

Cultural Experiences are the personal encounters and understanding of different cultures. The video concludes by mentioning that learning new languages opens doors to new cultural experiences, emphasizing the broader societal and personal benefits beyond cognitive advantages.

Highlights

Contrary to past beliefs, being bilingual is beneficial for cognitive development, similar to exercising at a gym.

Bilingual brains keep all languages active simultaneously, which enhances concentration, problem-solving, memory, and creativity.

A 2007 study by Ellen Bialystok in Toronto suggested that bilingual individuals develop dementia later than monolinguals.

The concept of cognitive reserve, which protects against cognitive decline and delays dementia, is supported by the bilingual advantage.

Learning a new language helps build cognitive reserve, with language learning being particularly effective due to its complexity.

The best time to learn a new language is during childhood when the brain forms new networks, but learning later in life can also be beneficial.

A 2023 study at Great Ormond Street Hospital found that early bilingual children showed stronger brain connectivity at rest.

Early bilingualism may improve brain connectivity even when the brain is at rest, akin to muscles appearing larger after regular exercise.

Bilingual individuals have the ability to see other people's perspectives and understand different points of view.

People tend to react more emotionally in their first language and more rationally in their second language.

The emotional response in the first language and rational response in the second language may be due to the contexts in which each language is learned and used.

Learning new languages is not only beneficial for individuals but also for societies, as it opens doors to new cultural experiences and opportunities.

The benefits of bilingualism are continually being discovered, emphasizing the importance of learning and speaking multiple languages.

Bilingualism enhances not just cognitive abilities but also the capacity to engage with diverse communities and perspectives.

The study's innovative method of measuring brain activity while children were at rest provided unique insights into the effects of bilingualism.

The findings from the study at Great Ormond Street Hospital have practical implications for understanding the impact of bilingualism on brain development.

Transcripts

[Music]

it used to be thought that being

bilingual was a bad thing that it would

confuse or hold people back especially

children turns out we couldn't have been

more wrong learning new languages is an

exercise of the mind it's the mental

equivalent of going to a gym every

[Music]

day in the bilingual brain all our

languages are active all at the same

time the continue effort of suppressing

a language when speaking another along

with a mental challenge that comes with

regularly switching between languages

exercises our brain it improves our

concentration problem solving memory and

in turn our

creativity it's now widely accepted that

there are huge benefits to being

bilingual a key breakthrough came back

in 2007 in Toronto when Ellen B alisto

and her team made a discovery that shook

the scientific community and has massive

real world

implications it was the first study

which suggested that bilingual people

people who speak more than one language

develop dementia four to 4 and a half

years later than those who don't it was

a powerful confirmation of the idea of

cognitive

Reserve now what is cognitive Reserve

cognitive Reserve is the idea that

people develop a reserve of thinking

abilities and this protects them against

losses that can occur through aging and

disease as well as delaying the onset of

dementia bilingual people have been

shown to recover significantly better

after a stroke learning anything new

helps build cognitive Reserve but

there's something special about language

language is particularly Broad and

complex it affects ideas and Concepts

perception different sounds the more

complex certain skill is the more likely

it is to have a positive effect on

cognitive

Reserve so when is the best time to

learn a new language well here's part of

the

answer the brain is a complex set of new

networks when you're learning a new

language as a child you're building new

[Music]

networks but when you learn a language

later in life you have to modify the

existing

networks and make more

connections because learning languages

later in life can be more challenging

the benefits can also be

greater but a 2023 study at Great Orman

Street suggests this is just part of the

story so we invited three groups of

children that were aged 8 to 10 and we

had a group of children who were

monolingual

a group of children who had early

exposure to Greek and English from birth

they were our early bilinguals and

finally we had a group who had been

exposed to English between the ages of 2

and five and they were our later

bilinguals so what we did that no one

had done before is that we asked the

children to line the scanner while doing

nothing and just staring at a cross and

during this we measured their brain

activity so what we found that was

really exciting for us is that our early

bilingual group had the strongest

connectivity in a network at rest and

these group of regions are regions that

light up when we're doing nothing and

just mind wandering a little bit like if

you're going to the gym every day your

muscles might look bigger at rest where

similarly your brain might be better

connected at rest because you are

learning a language early and this is

something no one had found

before and there's more one lesser known

behavioral effect of bilingualism in

both children and adults is the ability

to see the other people's perspective or

to understand that it is possible to

have different points of view recent

Studies have also found that people tend

to react more emotionally in their first

language and more rational in a more

abstract way in the second and the way

it is usually explained is that the

first language is the one which we use

to speak with family with friends in

informal settings the second language is

usually learned at school at the

University at

work scientists are discovering new

upsides to be in bilingual all the time

and it's not just our brains that

benefit learning new languages and

speaking more than one language is very

important not only for individuals but

also for societies learning new

languages can open doors to new cultural

experiences life opportunities different

people different communities and

different ways of seeing the

world and with that we'll say a

[Music]

final

goodbye

bye poil vow