Bilingualism And Intelligence, Personality And Creativity: How Are They Related?
Although throughout history many cultures have spread the myth that bilingualism has negative psychological effects scientific research in recent decades clearly indicates that mastery of more than one language actually has positive consequences.
In this article we will describe the relationship of multilingualism with intelligence, personality and creativity As we will see, speaking more than one language produces changes at a mental level mainly through the improvement of cognitive flexibility and abstract reasoning.
A person is said to be multilingual when they can communicate naturally in more than one language, especially if they have acquired the skills at an early age. When someone masters two languages we speak of bilingualism those who know three languages are trilingual, etc.
There is debate about the degree of proficiency required to be considered multilingual. Many experts limit the definition to the ability to speak a second language reasonably fluently, while others consider that a strong knowledge of at least two languages is required.
They have been around for a long time prejudices regarding the psychological effects of bilingualism in traditionally monolingual cultures; Bilingual people were attributed lower intelligence, less mastery of languages, and moral and characterological alterations.
The first investigations into multilingualism confirmed this type of perspective, although they had serious methodological problems that invalidated their results. More rigorous studies carried out later not only refuted these hypotheses but showed that bilingualism may have beneficial effects on cognition
However, it must be taken into account that many of these benefits are rather a consequence of multiculturalism, a natural result of learning several languages. Knowing more than one language facilitates familiarization with different perspectives and improves abstract thinking, since multilingualism requires complex conceptual reasoning
Types of bilingualism
Cummins made a proposal known as the “threshold hypothesis.” According to this author, bilingualism can have positive or negative effects depending on the degree of proficiency in the languages and different psychosocial variables, such as the prestige of both languages.
In this way, Cummins stated that bilingual people who do not reach a minimum threshold in both languages they may suffer negative effects; In these cases we would speak of subtractive bilingualism. Subsequent research has suggested that bilingual people with low language proficiency may have a slight disadvantage in arithmetic.
On the other hand, when the upper threshold of linguistic competence is exceeded, additive bilingualism, which positively influences cognition, as we will see below. These effects are more intense the greater the mastery of the languages.
Multilingualism, cognition and intelligence
The research reveals that The cognitive structure of bilingual people is different from that of monolinguals. Specifically, the IQ is explained by a greater number of factors; This means that cognitive abilities diversify to a greater extent in those who learn more than one language during their development.
Furthermore, multilingualism has been related to greater cognitive flexibility. This means that bilingual people tend to have more ability to find alternative solutions to problems and choose the best option among those available.
On the other hand, as we have already mentioned, multilingualism favors the development of abstract reasoning and the management of concepts. This has been attributed to increased awareness of the fact that words do not designate absolute realities but they have an important arbitrary component.
Consequently, multilinguals would have a greater capacity to focus on structures instead of the elements that form them, as well as to reorganize them. This includes a verbal dimension but also involves perception.
Influence on personality
Many multilingual people report that their personality changes depending on the language they use; These changes have been confirmed by some studies. However, in general they are attributed to the adoption of a different contextual framework depending on the culture with which each language is associated, which would be independent of the language used.
However the hypotheses of linguistic relativity They affirm that language influences the way of thinking and feeling. Thus, learning more than one language could facilitate the development of different facets of personality. Furthermore, it is believed that speaking in the second language causes many bilinguals to set aside social conventions.
On the other hand, the social context can influence personality and psychological well-being through the attitude towards bilingualism. For example, Latin American children could be looked down upon in the United States because they speak a different language; These types of situations also interfere with normal language learning.
Relationship with creativity
The beneficial effects of bilingualism on creativity are associated with cognitive flexibility The ability to adopt different perspectives and reorganize mental content produces clear improvements in creativity, especially in people who have a high command of more than one language.
JP Guilford described two types of reasoning: convergent and divergent. While convergent thinking is sequential (it advances “in a straight line”), divergent reasoning explores multiple alternatives in a more spontaneous way and is based on the relationships between the set and the elements that compose it.
The concept of divergent reasoning is very close to that of creativity Measures of cognitive fluency, flexibility, and originality, which Guilford defined as the core skills of divergent reasoning and the creative process, have been shown to be consistently higher on average in multilingual people than in monolingual people.
