Charging for the brain: how bilingualism affects our productivity

Almost all residents of the former Soviet republics speak two languages ​​- in their native Russian. The Russian language was a bridge, a kind of small international language as part of the Soviet Union. And for me it was customary to speak in two languages ​​from the very moment, as I said my first word.

Knowledge of an additional language and frequent use it not only allows you to communicate with more people and get more information. According to research by scientists from around the world, bilingualism gives you another important advantage!

On the one hand because of the bilingualism can be born in the form of a mixture of languages ​​of national surzhik from which normal people will start to hurt his ears. This is because the brain are involved at the same time the two systems, even if a person speaks only one language. As a result, confusion may occur, resulting not born sonorous mixture of two languages.

And on the other - the brain gets a double load and had to get used to it. This can be compared with employment in the fitness club, where we specifically take more weight to strengthen your muscles and give them shape.

People daily using two languages, easier to solve certain kinds of psychological problems. Due to the fact that the brain is forced to constantly fight dvuyazychnika in order to slow down the second system (ie, a second language), he had better get be protected from external stimuli and focus on set task.

In another research conducted in 2009 with a group of retirees from the Spanish-English families, it was found that bilinguals are less prone to senile dementia. And even if they still begins, it happens much later than those who were born to monolingual family.

Of course, our mental capacity also depends on a huge number of other factors (heredity, environment, family financial status, etc.), but these findings it is possible to adopt and, finally, begin to learn a second or third language. Of course, you will not be bilingual, because these people speak two languages ​​practically from birth. But this extra charge for the brain still will not be superfluous. Try to read as much as possible on the second target language and to communicate with the media. And every time I come to a new country, learn at least a few basic words and phrases in the local language. It will be useful linguistic baggage, and perhaps allow you to keep the mind clear before the end of his days.