When the Hungarian translator Kato Lomb was 92 years old, she took up two new languages - Hebrew and Arabic. Kato lived 95 years, remaining until the last day in her right mind and memory. It seems that polyglots have a “different” head, and why do we, “mere mortals” need knowledge of several languages? Can it make us happier? It turns out it can.
The brain of polyglots is really “arranged” differently. Bilingual children (those who live in a bilingual environment from birth) have more brain cells than their peers living in the space of one language. It is also known that people who speak several languages are more likely to endure the consequences of a stroke and return to their previous lives faster. In addition, studying in general and learning foreign languages in particular is a good helper in the fight against depression. When confronted with new information, the release of neurotransmitters, the deficiency of which causes this disease, is activated. So by learning, we either prevent depression or cure it.
In addition, the level of happiness depends on whether we learn something or not. Perhaps that is why the idea of lifelong learning is becoming more and more popular, and the learning process itself is increasingly taking the form of edutainment (from education – “education” and entertainment – “entertainment”).
It’s never too late
Do you think that you are no longer at the age to take on a new language, because the memory is no longer the same? The brain changes throughout life: unnecessary neural connections are destroyed, new ones appear in their place. Of course, in childhood and adolescence this happens faster, but it is never too late to learn. If you give the brain food for thought, set new tasks, challenge it, it will develop, build new neural networks, save and more effectively use both new knowledge and those that were obtained many years ago. You can compare the brain with the body: everyone has muscles, but only those who play sports are strong and enduring.
If you have never learned a foreign language or did it decades ago, the process will be even more interesting and effective – new experience is absorbed better due to the release of dopamine – one of the hormones of happiness.
The main thing is to find ways to study that cause the greatest “dopamine response”
The level of happiness depends on whether we are moving along the usual route, following the usual daily routine, or choosing unfamiliar roads and challenging ourselves. The explanation for this: studies have historically been necessary for a person to survive. When the human brain began to grow and become more complex, the ability to learn became a necessity – instincts alone were no longer enough. The most trained, in addition to a burst of dopamine, also received the best chances of survival.
Today we live in a relatively calm and safe world, but learning new things is still pleasant and rewarding. The main thing is to approach the process correctly: look for ways that cause the greatest “dopamine response”, and be guided by intrinsic motivation, not grades.
How to make studying enjoyable
The areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory are linked to the areas for pleasure. This means that the more pleasure we get in the process of studying, the higher the chances of remembering new information. There is no point in cramming: with simple repetitions of words, the brain quickly goes into “autopilot” mode, and the information received does not fall into long-term memory. It is easy to remember the learned words in a day, but in a couple of weeks it will not work. In addition, without a logical continuation – the use of the studied material – the learned is quickly forgotten.
How to do it? Include a foreign language in your life without waiting until there is time for a full-fledged lesson. For this:
- change the settings of your phone and computer, setting the one you are studying as the main language;
- keep a diary or notes in a foreign language;
- buy foreign magazines, but only those that are really interesting to you;
- watch your favorite TV shows in the original, listen to songs, read news on foreign resources;
- make interesting acquaintances with foreigners online or offline.
Don’t wait for an extra hour in the day to learn a language. This will not happen, and you will miss the time, pleasure and opportunity to keep the brain in shape. Find enjoyable ways to learn a language, get a dopamine rush, and you’ll be unstoppable.
And what about those who do not have time at all? Set a timer on your phone for five minutes and devote this time to pleasant study – for example, listen to a song in a foreign language and read its lyrics. Five minutes will not change anything in the work schedule, and in the future of the brain – completely.
About the Developer
Anastasia Ivanova — teacher, blogger, course author и .