MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAN LANGUAGES PROGRAM

Studying a foreign language makes you smarter

The benefits of learning a foreign language go beyond the ability to order local food, to ask for directions when travelling abroad, to learn about other countries and cultures, or to add a skill to a CV. New research has shown that learning a foreign language will stimulate your brain and enhance important cognitive processes: it will make you smarter and better equipped to solve cognitive problems. For example, people who can speak more than one language ...

• are more aware of language, and the ways it can be structured and manipulated and therefore become more effective communicators and better editors and writers even in their first language. (Kaushanskaya et al., 2011)
• are better at multitasking. Because of improved cognitive flexibility they can adjust quicker to unexpected circumstances. (Gold et al., 2013).
• are better able to focus by tuning out distractions or irrelevant information. (Bialystock & Craik, 2010)
• make more rational decisions when they consider their options using their second language. (Keysar et al., 2012)
• have better listening skills, since they have to learn to distinguish various types of sounds. (Krizman et al., 2012)

Thus, we encourage you to challenge your brain and discover the benefits of knowing a foreign language.