HOW SPEAKING MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE HELPS YOU
UNDERSTAND
THE HUMAN HEART.
...A study published by the National Academy of Sciences researched cognitive
gains in seven-month-old infants introduced to more than one language from
birth, compared to children being raised in a mono-language home.
...Another study, led by
neuropsychologists at the University of California, was conducted on 44 elderly
bilingual people. It suggested that using more than one language slowed the
onset of many illnesses, like Alzheimer’s and dementia. With NPR reporting that dementia patients
who are bilingual experience onset on average, four-and-a-half years later in
life.
...Psychology Today reports people who are
bilingual can come up with more creative problem-solving techniques
and fluidly respond to challenging tasks than those who only use one
language as they are more proficient in the formations of things like
syntax, figurative language and metaphors, which allow their brains to think
more creatively and respond to obstacles in more innovative ways.
NPR reporting that dementia patients
who are bilingual experience onset on average, four-and-a-half years later in
life...
Speaking more than one language helps you understand
the human heart.
Susan Ervin-Tripp, from the
University of California Psychology department, has been studying the effects of learning multiple languages on the human experience
for years. In her paper titled Emotion in Bilingualism, she writes,
‘When we are in situations demanding a change in
language, we may have a strong sense of a shift in values and feelings. Some
bilinguals even report they have two personalities.’
And she’s right. Language in its various forms can be used as a
tool to help us understand our core morals, beliefs and even passions and
by understanding the effects being bilingual has on the brain, we can
begin to see the enormous benefits speaking more than one language has on the
human soul.
Not only does it better connect us to
the world and people around us, but multiple languages help us connect to
ourselves.
And for children growing into adulthood language unlocks the door to the
heart by allowing us to easily communicate with each other and ourselves, by
being able to understand who we are better, we ultimately become better lovers.
If speaking multiple languages can help us simplify
and organize our thoughts better, then it can help us to understand the complex
variations of love, life and happiness and relay those feelings to our loved
ones clearly and effectively.
If you didn’t get a chance to learn that
many languages when you were younger, don’t despair, you can start at any time
and perhaps you could just learn the most important words in the world.
We know how crucial it is in any
relationship to repeat those three words to
our families and loved ones every night before we lay our heads down and every
morning as the sun rises: I love you, Je t’aime,Te quiero, Ich liebe dich, Ik
hou van jou, Aloha Au Ia`oe……………
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