Bilingual Speakers May Be More Mentally Efficient
By: Big 2 News Staff
Updated: January 10, 2013
Fluency in two languages may be key in preventing cognitive decline as you age.
The findings are part of a study released this week by the Journal of Neuroscience.
Researchers evaluated more than a hundred people who identified themselves as bilingual.
During tests that involved simple working memory, bilinguals and those who only speak one language scored about the same.
However, in experiments where participants had to switch between intuitive tasks, bilinguals were faster.
Researchers believe this shows that bilinguals can be better mental jugglers.
They say it's still too early to fully understand how language creates this kind of brain efficiency.
The findings are part of a study released this week by the Journal of Neuroscience.
Researchers evaluated more than a hundred people who identified themselves as bilingual.
During tests that involved simple working memory, bilinguals and those who only speak one language scored about the same.
However, in experiments where participants had to switch between intuitive tasks, bilinguals were faster.
Researchers believe this shows that bilinguals can be better mental jugglers.
They say it's still too early to fully understand how language creates this kind of brain efficiency.
