Research Hit: Bilingualism Makes Your Brain More Efficient
Bilingual brains at rest show stronger connectivity between regions
Bilingualism makes our brains more efficient at languages?
Nope, bilingualism makes our brains more effective overall!
Wow, how that?
Well, that is precisely what these researchers from McGill University, the University of Ottawa (both in Canada), and the University of Zaragoza (Spain), aimed to investigate.
Previously there has been plenty of research showing that bilingualism brings many benefits to our brains. This study recruited 151 participants who were monolingual or bilingual and scanned their brains in resting state looking for overall brain connectivity.
Most previous research has focused on specific brain regions.
Fascinating - you’ve already mentioned in the title that this is beneficial but can you explain what they found?
Yes, quite simply they found stronger connectivity between regions which shows higher efficiency. One particular connection that was notably strengthened was between the left frontal cortex and the cerebellum. The left frontal is associated with decision-making but also cognitive control and the cerebellum with automated actions including cognitive processes.
So, more strongly connected, particularly in key cognitive areas?
Precisely. But of note is that this connectivity was stronger, the younger that a person had learned their second language.
So, growing up bilingual is most beneficial followed by learning a second language as a child.
Yes, the younger the better, but there were still benefits to learning a second language a bit later.
And in adults?
Well, learning anything new is good for your brain and certainly learning languages is a great way to stimulate your brain - so still highly recommended. If you have young children and they are not bilingual - exposure and learning a second language will certainly be beneficial. The younger the better according to this research.
And you are bilingual aren’t you?
I was exposed to German from birth but never really spoke it till later. But luckily for my kids (brains) they grew up bilingual!
Reference
Zeus Gracia-Tabuenca, Elise B. Barbeau, Shanna Kousaie, Jen-Kai Chen, Xiaoqian Chai, Denise Klein.
Enhanced efficiency in the bilingual brain through the inter-hemispheric cortico-cerebellar pathway in early second language acquisition.
Communications Biology, 2024; 7 (1)
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06965-1