There’s a way to get a dramatic boost in your social skills, psychological well-being, health, and general lifestyle – just learn a new language.
Click start to play today’s Word Search, where you can identify some of the different languages spoken around the world.
Around the world, between 60 to 75 per cent of people speak at least two languages. Many countries list more than one official national language, and places like South Africa list 11!
Learning languages is so intrinsic to human beings that the learning process is thought to start even before we are born. According to the US-based Harvard University website, a foetus’ premature auditory system develops at around 33 weeks into pregnancy, which means the foetus can listen to and even discern different sounds – a key to learning a language.
Babies raised in bilingual or multilingual environments are exposed to two or more languages, and before they reach their first birthday, they are able to hear speech differently than their monolingual counterparts. A 2016 study published in the Netherlands-based Journal of Experimental Child Psychology found that bilingual children have more cognitive flexibility, so they are better at conflict inhibition – the mental process of overriding a long-established rule that they would normally follow. Being bilingual also increases their ability to think about different concepts at once, and simultaneously improves their selective attention abilities – the process of focusing on one task at a time.
And since being bilingual requires using the executive functions of the brain, which are high-level cognitive skills like planning, decision-making, organisation, and problem-solving, studies have shown that children who speak two languages can complete mental puzzles more quickly.
The benefits you gain as a child extend all the way to adulthood. According to a January 2021 study in the UK-based journal Scientific Reports, adults who grow up speaking two languages can shift their attention between tasks more quickly than someone who picks up a language later in life. With better cognitive and sensory processing, a bilingual person may get better at the process of learning, itself. It’s why bilingual adults may find it easier to learn a third language than monolingual adults who try to learn a second language.
And once adults become seniors, bilingualism appears to fend off the natural decline of cognitive function to some extent, and maintains what is called ‘cognitive reserve’ – the efficient utilisation of the brain’s networks to enhance its functions during ageing.
All in all, it seems to be a no-brainer: Learning new languages is one of the best ways to give your brain a workout, while simultaneously opening yourself up to new experiences, cultures and people. And starting early is the best way to absorb new languages!
How many languages do you speak? Play today’s Word Search and let us know at games@gulfnews.com.