Have you already thought about writing New Year’s resolutions? If not, you should consider learning a new language, a type of learning so valuable that it not only expands your vocabulary but it is also capable of breaking down boundaries that have been limiting you in many aspects.
In fact, there is no reason why these types of initiatives benefit you; there are several.
The reasons why it would be good for you to learn another language
Let me tell you why you should learn a new language next year…
1. Improve your first language proficiency
Goethe, the German poet, said “he who does not know foreign languages, knows nothing of his own.”
2. Improves listening ability
People generally focus on their ability to speak and express themselves, believing that this is the only requirement for optimal communication. Knowing how to listen implies direct attention to the other person’s words.
3. If you already know a language, it is easier to learn another
You will be challenging your brain and I assure you that it will rise to the occasion. And don’t make excuses…If you already know a language, you can learn another online or become self-taught quickly.
4. Increases attention and improves memory
In these times, we spend our lives among electronic devices, therefore it is very interesting that an activity manages to increase attention and improve memory. Both They are faculties of our mind that we must exercise frequently. So now you know, you must “send your brain to the gym.”
5. Improves self-esteem and confidence
Reaching goals and achieving objectives gives you an increase in self-esteem and a strong dose of confidence to continue.
6. Bilingual people have certain virtues
Bilingual or even multilingual people They are more creative, more tolerant, more flexible and they have a more open mind to the world.
7. Bilingualism makes us better at multitasking
Multitasking is the ability of a person to do several things at the same time.
8. Improve your expectations about the future
Studying, working and even living abroad will be dreams come true. Traveling will be different from now on. If you are a student or professional, your work and training horizon will change from learning another language.
9. You know other cultures
Learning another language means immersing yourself in a new universe. Soon you will learn another way of conceiving the world, other ways of thinking and living.
10. You meet other people and make new friends
It is clear: with new ways of expressing oneself, new social contacts arrive.
11. Helps you make better decisions
When people can think in another language, they are more likely to make better decisions or more deliberate decisions that are less dependent on emotions.
12. Improves cognitive flexibility
Learning a language improves ability to adapt to new situations. In addition, the brain grows especially in the hippocampal area when the area responsible for language is activated.
13. Prevents senile dementia
Speaking at least two languages can reduce dementia. Bilingual brains delay the effects of aging. Being bilingual is a way to keep our brain active.
14. Reduces Alzheimer’s
Bilingualism delays the appearance of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s by about five years. People who have spoken two languages during their lives have a greater cognitive reserve that allows them to face the disease long afterward.
15. Improves brain plasticity
People who learned more than one language as children activate a single area of the brain while those people who learned a language as adults activate more than one region. That is, a region that controls the mother tongue and another that would be activated with the late-learned language. This implies greater effort for the brain, having to redesign new brain circuits.
Expand your world thanks to languages
So now you know, now you just have to choose the language for next year. If you don’t want to choose English, I suggest you think about the following languages:
