It used to be thought that being bilingual was a bad thing - that it would confuse or hold people backondown, especially children. It turns out, we couldn't have been more wrong.

In the bilingual brain, all our languages are active at the same time. It improves our concentration, problem solving, memory, and, in turnsin turning in turn , our creativity. 

People who speak more than one language developingdevelopdeveloped dementia four to four-and-a-half years later than those who don't. It was a powerful confirmation of the idea of cognitive reserve. 

Cognitive reserve is the idea that people develop a reserve of thinking abilities, and this protects them against losses that can occur thoughthoroughthrough ageing and disease.

Language is particularly broad and complex. It effects affects ideas and concepts, perception, and different sounds. The more complex a certain skill is, the more likely it is to have a positive effect on cognitive reserve.

When is the best time to learn a new language? The brain is a complex set of neural networks. When youryou're learning a new language as a child, you're building new networks. But when you learn a language later in life, you have to modify the existing networks and make more connections. Because learning languages later inonat life can be more challenging, the benefits can also be greater.

Our early bilingual group had the strongstrongest stronger connectivity in the network at rest. A little bit, like if you're going to the gym every day, your muscles might look bigger at rest. Similarly, your brain might be better connected at rest because you are learning a language early. 

One lesser-known behavioural effect of bilingualism in both children and adults is the ability to see other people's perspectives thoughtsfeeings or to understand that it is possible to have different points of view.

People tend to react more emotionally in they'retheir there first language and more rationally, in a more abstract way, in their second. The way it is usually explained is that the first language is the one we use to speak with family and friends in informal settings. The second language is alwaysusuallynever learned at school, at university, or at work.

Learning new languages and speaking more than one language is very important, not only for individuals but also for societies. Learning new languages can open mindswindows doors to new cultural experiences, life opportunities, different people, different communities, and different ways of toat seeing the world.