The bilingual brain is sharper and makes better decisions

Check out these two recent articles from The Wall Street Journal and Wired Science describing studies about bilingual brains:

“The Bilingual Brain is Sharper and More Focused,” published on 4/30 in the Wall Street Journal, describes a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers at Northwestern University. The researchers found that bilinguals are able to focus better on target sounds in a noisy environment. This makes sense when you think about how bilinguals constantly have to focus on the appropriate language in a multilingual environment.

“Thinking in a Foreign Language Makes Decisions More Rational,” published on 4/24 on Wired.com, describes a study published in Psychological Science by psychologists at the University of Chicago. This study found evidence that thinking in a foreign language requires more thorough deliberation and analysis than in one’s native language. So when you think in a foreign language, you’re forced to consider your decision for a longer time and more analytically than in your native language, leading to making a better decision!