Though the specific number of people who speak more than two languages is unknown, an estimated 60% of the world are multilingual—roughly six in ten people.⁷ In recent years, scientists have found that individuals who can speak more than two languages fluently usually have no problem switching languages within a single conversation. Like everything, there are always positives and negatives; what’s important is which outweighs the other.

Many scientists have speculated that the reason multilingual individuals rarely make errors when switching between languages is because of cognitive control mechanisms. These mechanisms are a set of higher-order processes that allow a person to control behaviors and achieve desired goals. Neuroimaging studies done in 2008 support this claim, showing that the areas of the brain for language selection and general executive control overlap in similar places.¹ As a result of these mutual sites, activating language selection also engages executive control, suggesting the continuous action of switching languages helps develop a more efficient control of non-verbal activities and prevent the deterioration of cognitive functions.

This finding is further backed by a study in 2012, which investigated the cognitive differences between monolingual and bilingual individuals when performing a nonverbal cognitive control task.²  The experiment involved a set of five arrows that either pointed left or right, and participants were instructed to press one of two buttons indicating the direction of the middle arrow.⁴ Through this study, scientists found that bilinguals relied more on the frontal, temporal, and subcortical regions, which are involved in articulation, memory, language, and learning. Meanwhile, monolinguals primarily activate their temporal and parietal regions, which are for sensory information and memory. In addition, bilingual participants were more efficient at discerning the middle arrow’s direction; they had faster reaction times compared to monolingual individuals, suggesting a positive brain-behavior correlation and decreased activation in the dorsolateral anterior cingulate cortex. These results indicate that bilingual individuals use fewer resources than monolinguals to achieve similar levels of performance. 

Multilingualism is a permanent state that we actively use to communicate, read, listen, or think.

Switching between languages is a form of mental exercise that can boost neuroplasticity, which is our brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize as a response to experiences, such as brain damage or memory collection. Many factors can increase cognition through neuroplasticity such as learning, musical training, and aerobic exercise. However, these activities can only be done a limited number of times a day, unlike being multilingual. Boosting neuroplasticity allows for new neural pathways to form and strengthen existing neural connections, which is crucial, especially for older individuals, because it can prevent and recover from neural injuries, and delay age-related cognitive declines.

For developing children, it is often difficult to switch between languages and decipher when to use which language. Children learning a new language in school without previous exposure might experience delays in learning and a difficult time assimilating into their academic environment. This often leads to frustration over feeling academically slower and confusion about their abilities, which can be isolating and psychologically damaging. Feelings of shyness when using a different language or aggressiveness from the inability to participate in a language fluently may also arise. However, there are many ways to combat this, such as placing these children in an environment where everyone is a multi-language learner, or exposing them to all the languages they will use early on.⁷

Being multilingual has many benefits such as bragging to friends about quick reaction time. Next time you are with friends, you can play the nonverbal cognitive game by presenting five arrows facing different directions and naming the middle arrow. Multilingualism also helps slow the deterioration of cognition, so when you are older, you can brag to monolingual friends about how they are not as smart as you. Whether or not you know two or more languages fluently; the key is practicing daily. For those who only know one language, it is never too late to start learning!

References

1. Abutalebi, J., Della Rosa, P. A., Green, D. W., Hernandez, M., Scifo, P., Keim, R., Cappa, S. F., & Costa, A. (2012). Bilingualism tunes the anterior cingulate cortex for conflict monitoring. Cerebral Cortex, 22(9), 2076–86. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhr287
2. Abutalebi, J., & Green, D. W. (2008). Control mechanisms in bilingual language production: Neural evidence from language switching studies. Language and Cognitive Processes, 23(4), 557–82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01690960801920602
3. Chung-Fat-Yim, A., Hayakawa, S., Marian, V., Cabrelli, I., Chaouch-Orozco, A., Alonso, J., Soares, S., Puig-Mayenco, E., & Rothman, J. (n.d.). MULTILINGUALISM AND COGNITIVE CONTROL 1 Multilingualism and Cognitive Control in the Brain MULTILINGUALISM AND COGNITIVE CONTROL 2. https://bilingualism.northwestern.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Chapter-20-Multilingualism-Brain-ChungFatYimetal_FINAL.pdf
4. fMRI Tutorial #2: Overview of The Flanker Task — Andy’s Brain Book 1.0 documentation. (2023). Readthedocs.io. https://andysbrainbook.readthedocs.io/en/latest/fMRI_Short_Course/fMRI_02_ExperimentalDesign.html#
5. Kroll, J. F., & Dussias, P. E. (2017). The Benefits of Multilingualism to the Personal and Professional Development of Residents of the US. Foreign Language Annals, 50(2), 248–259. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12271‌
6. Multilingual People – Are you a polyglot? (2018). Ilanguages.org. http://ilanguages.org/bilingual.php
7. Won, J. (2022). The Effects of Multilingual Learning on Social-Emotional and The Effects of Multilingual Learning on Social-Emotional and Cognitive Development in Children Cognitive Development in Children. https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1592&context=honors_proj

Image reference:

Many Hands Raised Diverse Multicultural Children Stock Vector (Royalty Free) 2219221557 | Shutterstock. (2022). Shutterstock. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/many-hands-raised-diverse-multicultural-children-2219221557

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