Why being bilingual is good for your brain | BBC Ideas

Summary

The video script dispels the myth that bilingualism is detrimental, highlighting its cognitive benefits instead. It discusses the mental exercise bilingualism provides, enhancing concentration, problem-solving, memory, and creativity. The script also reveals the protective effect of bilingualism against dementia and stroke, emphasizing cognitive reserve. Furthermore, it explores the impact of learning languages at different life stages and the behavioral effects of bilingualism, such as perspective-taking and emotional expression in different languages. The script concludes by emphasizing the societal importance of language learning for cultural experiences and opportunities.

Takeaways

• 🤓 Bilingualism is beneficial for cognitive development, similar to exercising the mind regularly.
• 🧠 The bilingual brain keeps all languages active, which continuously exercises the brain, improving concentration, problem-solving, memory, and creativity.
• 📊 A 2007 study by Ellen Bialystok showed that bilingual individuals develop dementia later than monolinguals, supporting the concept of cognitive reserve.
• 🛡 Cognitive reserve refers to a 'thinking abilities' reserve that protects against cognitive losses due to aging and disease.
• 🔄 Bilingual people are found to recover better after a stroke, highlighting the resilience built by learning multiple languages.
• 🌐 Learning a new language at any age helps build cognitive reserve, but the process is different and potentially more beneficial in adults due to the need to modify existing neural networks.
• 🧫 A 2023 study at Great Ormond Street Hospital found that early bilingual children had stronger connectivity in their brain's resting network, suggesting early language learning enhances brain connectivity even at rest.
• 🌈 Bilingualism can enhance the ability to understand different perspectives and see the world from another's point of view.
• ❤️ Emotional reactions tend to be more intense in one's first language, while the second language can foster more rational and abstract thinking.
• 🌟 The benefits of bilingualism extend beyond cognitive advantages, as speaking multiple languages can lead to new cultural experiences and life opportunities.
• 🌍 Learning and speaking multiple languages are crucial for both individuals and societies, promoting diversity and a broader understanding of the world.

Q & A

What was the common misconception about bilingualism in the past?

It was believed that being bilingual was a bad thing and that it would confuse or hold people back, especially children.

How does learning new languages benefit the brain?

Learning new languages is an exercise of the mind, similar to going to the gym, which improves concentration, problem-solving, memory, and creativity.

What is the concept of cognitive reserve, and how does bilingualism relate to it?

Cognitive reserve is the idea that people develop a reserve of thinking abilities that protect them against losses due to aging and disease. Bilingualism contributes to cognitive reserve and has been shown to delay the onset of dementia.

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

Ellen Bialystok's study suggested that bilingual people develop dementia four to four-and-a-half years later than those who don't, confirming the idea of cognitive reserve.

How does learning a new language later in life impact cognitive reserve and neural networks?

Learning a language later in life requires modifying existing neural networks and making more connections, which can be more challenging but also provides greater benefits to cognitive reserve.

What did the 2023 study at Great Ormond Street find about early and later bilingual children's brain activity?

The study found that early bilingual children had the strongest connectivity in the network at rest, which is similar to having better-connected muscles at rest from regular exercise.

What behavioral effect of bilingualism was observed in both children and adults regarding perspective-taking?

Bilingualism enhances the ability to see other people's perspectives and understand the possibility of having different points of view.

How does the emotional response differ between a person's first and second language according to recent studies?

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

What is the explanation for the difference in emotional and rational responses between a person's first and second languages?

The first language is usually used in informal settings with family and friends, while the second language is often learned in more formal educational or professional settings, influencing the type of response.

Why is learning new languages important for both individuals and societies?

Learning new languages is important as it not only benefits the brain but also opens doors to new cultural experiences, life opportunities, and different ways of seeing the world, fostering diversity and understanding within societies.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Benefits of Bilingualism for Cognitive Development

This paragraph discusses the misconception that bilingualism could be detrimental, which has been debunked by research showing that learning languages is a mental exercise akin to physical training. It enhances concentration, problem-solving, memory, and creativity. The discovery by Ellen Bialystok's team in 2007 revealed that bilingual individuals develop dementia later than monolinguals, supporting the concept of cognitive reserve. This reserve is a mental buffer against cognitive decline due to aging and disease. Bilingualism also aids in better recovery post-stroke. The complexity of language contributes to building this cognitive reserve, and learning languages at different life stages presents unique benefits, with later learning potentially offering greater advantages due to the need to modify existing neural networks.

05:02

👋 Closing Remarks

The final paragraph of the script serves as a closing statement, signaling the end of the discussion on the cognitive benefits of bilingualism. It does not contain substantial information but rather acts as a transition to conclude the presentation, leaving the audience with the insights gained from the preceding content.

Keywords

💡Bilingual

Bilingual refers to the ability of an individual to use two languages fluently and effectively. In the context of the video, it is highlighted as beneficial for cognitive development and mental health, with the script mentioning that bilingual individuals develop dementia later and recover better after a stroke, which underscores the theme of the video focusing on the cognitive advantages of bilingualism.

💡Cognitive Reserve

Cognitive reserve is the concept that an individual's brain has a capacity to compensate for age-related cognitive decline or neurological damage by drawing upon a 'reserve' of cognitive resources. The video script discusses this concept in relation to bilingualism, indicating that bilingual people have a higher cognitive reserve, which helps delay the onset of dementia and aids in recovery from strokes.

💡Dementia

Dementia is a general term for a decline in cognitive ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. The video script points out that bilingual people develop dementia later in life, which is a significant finding from the 2007 study by Ellen Bialystok and her team, linking bilingualism to better cognitive health.

💡Language Switching

Language switching refers to the practice of alternating between two or more languages in a single conversation or context. The script uses this concept to illustrate the mental exercise involved in bilingualism, suggesting that the effort of suppressing one language while using another strengthens cognitive abilities such as concentration and problem-solving.

💡Mental Exercise

Mental exercise, in the context of the video, is likened to physical exercise, emphasizing the importance of regular mental stimulation for brain health. The script compares learning a new language to going to the gym every day, suggesting that the brain benefits from the 'exercise' of language learning and use.

💡Creativity

Creativity, as mentioned in the video, is one of the cognitive benefits of being bilingual. The script suggests that the mental challenges associated with bilingualism, such as language switching, enhance an individual's creativity, which is an important aspect of cognitive health and innovation.

💡Early Bilinguals

Early bilinguals are individuals who are exposed to two languages from birth. The video script discusses a study involving early bilingual children, highlighting that they had the strongest connectivity in the brain's network at rest, which is a novel finding that suggests early language exposure can have lasting positive effects on brain connectivity.

💡Later Bilinguals

Later bilinguals are those who learn a second language after their initial years of life. The script contrasts early bilinguals with later bilinguals, who were exposed to a second language between the ages of two and five, to explore the differences in brain connectivity and cognitive benefits associated with the timing of language acquisition.

💡Brain Connectivity

Brain connectivity refers to the functional and structural connections between different regions of the brain. The video script reveals that early bilinguals showed stronger connectivity in the brain's network at rest, which is likened to muscles appearing larger at rest due to regular exercise, indicating that early language learning can enhance the brain's connectivity.

💡Cognitive Abilities

Cognitive abilities encompass a range of mental processes such as memory, attention, perception, and problem-solving. The script discusses how bilingualism can enhance these abilities, with the continual effort of language suppression and switching acting as a form of mental exercise that strengthens cognitive functions.

💡Perspective Taking

Perspective taking is the ability to understand and share the viewpoints of others. The video script mentions this as a behavioral effect of bilingualism, suggesting that bilingual individuals are better at appreciating different points of view, which is an important social and cognitive skill.

Highlights

Contrary to past beliefs, being bilingual is beneficial and not detrimental to cognitive development.

Learning languages is akin to mental exercise, enhancing concentration, problem-solving, memory, and creativity.

Bilingual brains have all languages active simultaneously, requiring continuous mental effort.

The cognitive challenge of language switching exercises the brain, similar to physical exercise.

Bilingualism has been scientifically linked to a delayed onset of dementia by 4 to 4.5 years.

The concept of cognitive reserve suggests a protective thinking ability reserve against age-related cognitive decline.

Bilingual individuals have shown better recovery rates post-stroke, indicating the resilience of cognitive reserve.

Learning a new language at any age contributes to building cognitive reserve, with unique benefits for each age group.

Language learning in childhood involves building new neural networks, while in adulthood it modifies existing ones.

A 2023 study at Great Ormond Street Hospital explored brain connectivity in bilingual children using brain scans.

Early bilingual children showed the strongest connectivity in resting brain networks, akin to well-exercised muscles.

Bilingualism enhances the ability to perceive and understand different perspectives.

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

The first language is often associated with informal settings, while the second is linked to formal education and work.

The benefits of bilingualism extend beyond the brain to include cultural experiences and societal advantages.

Learning new languages opens doors to new opportunities and diverse ways of understanding the world.

The study concludes with the significance of bilingualism for both individual and societal growth and understanding.

Transcripts

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 day.

In the bilingual brain, all our languages are active,

all at the same time.

The continual effort of suppressing a language

when speaking another, along with the 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 Bialystok 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 four-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 ageing 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 a 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 neural networks.

When you're learning a new language as a child,

you're building new 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 Ormond Street suggests

this is just part of the story.

So we invited three groups of children

that were aged eight to 10.

We had a group of children who were monolinguals.

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 age of two 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 lie in the scanner

while doing nothing - and just stare at a cross.

And during this, we measured their brain activity.

What we found that was really exciting for us

is that our early bilingual group

had the strongest connectivity in the 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.

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 behavioural 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 rationally,

in a more abstract way, in their 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 being 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 final...

Bye!