Did you know that over half of the world’s population are multilingual? When you are multilingual, you can reap the benefits of conversing with different people from many different backgrounds. Being multilingual can also offer many career benefits for you, as you have a competitive edge over others who may not speak more than one language.
There are many cognitive benefits of being multilingual. For instance, being multilingual can offer perks such as helping you to stay psychologically and socially active. Here are 6 essential ways taking up that Mandarin course in Singapore can be beneficial for your brain!
1. Improved Learning Ability
When you pick up new languages, you will have more words and phrases to memorise apart from your native language. This can greatly improve your learning abilities as you will be able to pick up more words, speak fluently in another language, and be able to remember things related to that language.
2. A Better Understanding Of How Language Works
By learning a second, third or fourth language, you can understand more about grammar, sentence structure, conjugations and many other language aspects. This is because you will be able to quickly pick up on the different language structures, and understand how it is used.
In fact, researchers have found that those who learn additional languages usually find it easier to learn another language subsequently. As they say, practice makes perfect – even for language learning!
3. Delay Mental Decline
Studies have shown that the more cognitive energy that is expended by the elderly every day, the less cognitive decline they will experience overall. Several studies have also demonstrated that learning different languages and speaking different languages can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia by up to 5 years! Multilingual patients that develop Alzheimer’s also tend to display less decline in their cognitive abilities.
4. Heightened Creativity
Learning a new language can be essential in helping you to pursue any creative careers or hobbies. For instance, when you learn a second language, you will nurture critical and creative thinking skills that are important for sharp problem-solving as well as innovation.
Studies have also shown that learning multiple languages links with creativity, and it can help individuals think of new ways to solve their issues.
5. Enhanced Task-Switching Skills
Studies have shown that multilingual individuals can task-switch better, but why is this so? That’s because a multilingual’s brain is constantly having to suppress the other languages while speaking one, and they often switch between languages effortlessly. This exercise of brain executive function can be applied to other activities as well, as shown by plenty of linguistic studies.
Thus, bilinguals and multilinguals are often said to be better at attentional control, inhibition, and task-switching, making them better thinkers and workers.
If you are looking to learn a new language, then you should learn Mandarin! Mandarin is one of the most spoken languages across the globe, and you’ll also be able to receive the cognitive benefits listed above. Enrol in a Mandarin course today and kickstart your language learning journey!