Speaking more than one language won’t just help you snag a date, it might also make you smarter. According to a recent study from Northwestern University, speaking more than one language constantly exercises the brain and makes it more prepared to take on other brain-challenging tasks. Recent figures estimate that only about 18 percent of Americans can fluently speak two or more languages, but if you’re in the overwhelming majority of those who don’t know a second tongue, don’t be discouraged. Picking up a second language isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think.

Exercise For The Brain

In a study, published online in the journal Brain and Language, lead researcher Dr. Viorica Marian and her team used functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI, to look at the co-activation and inhabitation in individuals who spoke more than one language. According to the press release, volunteers were asked to perform language comprehension tasks. This included hearing a word and then being asked to look at a corresponding photo.

For example, after hearing the word “cloud” they would be shown four pictures, including a picture of a cloud and a picture of a similar-sounding word, such as “clown.” The goal of the experiment was to see how well the participants were able to recognize the correct word and ignore the similar-sounding competing word. More.

See: Medical Daily

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