Just as our body grows, widens, becomes muscular or wrinkles; our brain can also change in many ways. The brain has the wonderful ability to grow, form new connections between neurons, or reorganize them. But sadly when we let our brain live passively or we are stressed there are negative changes such as the death of neurons.
Fortunately, learning a new skill produces positive changes in your brain. It's called neuronal plasticity. Today we tell you: How does your brain change when you learn a language?
This video was made thanks to the collaboration of Duolingo, learn a language for free and have fun. Every new skill we learn shapes our brain. Perhaps with the naked eye we could not differentiate the brain of a basketball player from that of a pianist, but with magnetic resonance imaging and encephalogram techniques we could appreciate the differences.
Thanks to the fact that our brain has the ability to change the way it works and processes information, some blind people are able to develop echolocation, yes, like that of bats! They learn to move and perceive their environment from the echo. To achieve this, your brain uses the visual cortex to develop this new skill.
Anyone can modify their brain without realizing it. A study done in London showed that taxi drivers have a larger hippocampus. A more developed hippocampus provides them with excellent spatial intelligence and allows them to create very precise mental maps.
In some cases the changes in the brain occur very quickly. A group of people were taught to juggle, after seven days of training an increase in gray matter was seen in an area that helps us perceive movement. Of course , if this skill is stopped, the brain will return to its previous state.
Language also shapes our brain. When the brain of Emil Krebs, an extraordinary polyglot, was studied, it was observed that the way his neurons were arranged in the area that allows us to speak was different from that of a normal person. Don't worry, you don't have to be a professional polyglot for your brain to change.
It was previously believed that teaching two languages to a baby was too confusing and only hindered their cognitive development and speech. In reality, for a child under four years old, learning two languages simultaneously is quite easy because they develop the same concept for both languages. That is, in their head they have to do exactly the same thing to say sock as calcetín.
That's why words like sackín are invented later. These bilingual infants have been seen to have a greater attention span, better analysis and organization skills than monolingual children. In a study it was also shown that their minds are more flexible, they are better at distinguishing ambiguous figures.
As these children grow up, they tend to understand people's intentions and emotions more easily . Boys and girls who learn a second language between the ages of four and twelve create a concept for each language. To say sock they have to create a new concept.
Yet studies have shown that these bilingual children are more skilled at analyzing abstract patterns and have better academic performance than monolingual children. On the other hand, when learning a language later, the brain filters that second language through the native language. In this case, you first think about the word sock and then its translation.
Surprisingly, it has been seen that if you learn a second language as an adult there are also many benefits. Several studies have found that after a year of classes, thickening of the cortex can already be observed in certain areas as well as the hippocampus. Transformations have also been seen in the white matter, which is what helps transmit messages in the brain.
All of these modifications improve working memory and attention span. More importantly, it can postpone Alzheimer's and dementia for up to 5 years. When we age the density of the cortex decreases, learning another language helps you counteract this effect by thickening your brain.
Speaking a second language involves different areas of the brain, therefore, the benefits it brings you are not only associated with language processing. In general it helps you with problem solving, attention and the ability to alternate tasks. So there is no excuse: no matter what age you learn a language, your brain will still develop and grow.
Speaking one or two more languages will make you have a more active and healthy brain. Curiously! A language is easier to learn when you have fun!
And much better if it's free. Learning English or 95 other languages costs nothing with Duolingo. Learn languages for free and have fun!
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