Learning Languages for a Healthy Brain

Evidence increasingly suggests that speaking more than one language is good for your mind and brain. This is because bilinguals must constantly choose which language they will use each time, and also prevent the non-relevant language from interfering. Inevitably, this “trains” the brain to be more flexible when switching between languages. This process not only causes the structure of the brain to physically change, but it also applies to a variety of other tasks, and might even prove beneficial in older age. In this interactive event, researchers from the Bilingualism in the Brain lab at the Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism will explain what language learning can do for you, and the importance of its effects for children, younger and older adults, as well as patients with neurodegeneration.