What Happens To Your Brain When You Learn a New Languag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih-Jhi-tyI8

No pain, no gain.

For the gym goers out there, these four words hold the weight of an eternal truth.

Yet when it comes to learning a new language, it can be hard for us to get past the time we said
"¡Estoy embarazado!" in Señora Romero's eighth grade Spanish class.

But learning a new language is little more than the working of a muscle. It can be extremely
challenging, especially later in life.

But the payoff can be big.

In a sort of cerebral crossfit, wherein instead of pumping iron, we fire synapses, the brain gets
in shape.

It's neural architecture gradually changing over time.

There are a few areas typically associated with language acquisition and storage.

We have Broca's area, which is responsible for speech production and articulation.

And also Wernicke's area in the left temporal lobe, associated with language development and
comprehension.

But language involves information exchange between both the left and right sides of the brain.

And the way our brains tuck languages away is highly variable.

A study conducted at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York revealed that
children who learn a second language early on store it together with their native language,
while in adult learners, it is saved in a different area of the brain.

The brain might store second languages differently at different points in our lifespans, but the
neurological benefits of language remain steady well into adulthood.

Studies suggest that the data transfer between the left and right hemispheres, for example,
increases the white matter in the corpus callosum, which can make it easier for the various
parts of your brain to communicate.

People who speak more than one language can also boost their gray matter count when
switching between languages, which can improve prefrontal cortex functions, including
decision making and concentration.

Learning new languages can improve multitasking, problem solving and memory, even when
the task at hand has nothing to do with language.

That cognitive boost can even help ward off the effects of degenerative diseases like dementia
and Alzheimer's.

To put it simply, learning language is mindbendingly good for you.

Now, hit the verbal gym.