There are many advantages to being bilingual. The ability to speak two languages makes travel easier and can open the bilingual person up to a whole new world of news, entertainment, social and cultural references that would be closed off to a monolingual person.

Studies have shown that bilingual children can learn more quickly in other areas and have better concentration spans. And there are even health benefits. But can being bilingual actually make you more intelligent?

Bilingualism Across the World

In 2012, a Eurobarometer survey revealed that ‘just over half of Europeans (54%)’ are bilingual. Other studies have suggested that more than half of the world’s total population is bilingual.

There are many theories as to the benefits of bilingualism and some question over whether being bilingual could even be a hindrance to language development and use.

Most studies agree that the ability to speak two languages at native level has many advantages.

 

Bilingual People Have Better Memories

Bilingual people have been shown to be more aware of grammar and correct language usage in general. Memory function has also been shown to improve when a learner starts studying another language.

There are even health benefits. Studies have shown that bilingual people with Alzheimer’s disease experience a much slower decline that monolingual sufferers.

Indeed, there is a higher density of grey matter in the brains of bilinguals, while the white matter in the brains of older people is also better maintained in those who speak two languages fluently.

 

Multi-tasking Benefits

The most obvious benefit for bilingual people, studies have suggested, is their ability to multi-task effectively. This improved ability is due to bilingual brains being used to thinking in two ways at once.

The constant challenge for the brain of having to speak in two languages served as a kind of exercise, strengthening the wiring in the brain and enabling more efficient multi-tasking.

The bilingual person is much more aware of what is going on around them, as they are used to listening out for two languages all the time. This increase in concentration can come in handy when studying and working.

In fact, the brain is altered in such a positive way by being able to speak two languages, many believe that being bilingual can actually make you smarter. However, studies into IQ in relation to bilingualism have been inconclusive.

Stronger Cognitive Muscles

It is sometimes thought that because the brain of a bilingual person has to work in two opposite directions, this would act as a handicap with one language obstructing the other.

In reality, this conflict tends to make the brain more efficient and in the long run gives it stronger cognitive muscles and better links between fibres in the brain.

In theory, this should help bilingual people think more quickly than monolingual people.

 

Bilingualism in Children

Studies show that until around age 8, children can learn a foreign language without an accent. There are also many other benefits of bilingualism at a young age, including improved academic performance, brain growth and increased empathy.

However, some studies have suggested that children who grow up learning two languages as their native languages are slower to build their vocabulary and grammar skills.

This is thought to be because it takes longer for them to deal with the language demands of two different languages.

Indeed, it is easier to become proficient at one language than two, so monolingual children tend to progress more quickly in their language development.

However, bilingual children tend to catch up with their monolingual classmates later. Indeed, other studies show that bilingual children are often faster learners in other areas of study due to their super-efficient brains.

A hurdle also exists for adults. Studies have shown that the average vocabularies of bilingual people are slightly smaller for each language than the vocabularies of monolingual speakers.

However, the advantages of being able to speak two languages at a native level in the long term would for most people outweigh any negative aspects.

 

What do you think? 

Are you bilingual? Do you agree with the findings of these studies?

If you are bilingual, do you think your brain works more efficiently than those of your monolingual friends?

Do you sometimes get confused between two or more languages?

Let us know your experiences with multiple languages in the comments.