Which is so impressive to me.

Sadly, I only speak one language, but I am working hard to learn Spanish with Duolingo, who is today's sponsor.

More on them later.

But what if I told you being bilingual or even becoming bilingual at an older age isn't just impressive, but a brain-changing superpower that could not only increase your mental abilities, but also slow the aging of your brain and potentially even prevent disease.

Let's start with a simple example.

What do you see?

Chances are you see a rabbit or a duck.

A lot of people are actually able to see both, but not at the same time.

Your brain actually has to switch back and forth between the two.

These are called ambiguous figures.

And it turns out children that grow up bilingual can switch back and forth between the figures much faster.

Likely because their brains are more adept at switching back and forth between languages.

But learning a second language can also improve your memory.

Studies on both children and adults into their 80s found that bilinguals almost always outperform monolinguals with working memory tasks, like being able to remember more pictures, objects, or numbers.

In fact, one study that looked at elderly bilinguals between 60 to 80 years old found that those who learned a second language later in life actually had an even greater advantage with memory tasks, highlighting that it's never too late to start.

Even more significant, this same study found that bilingualism can minimize or delay natural memory degradation often caused by aging, which is huge.

And we'll dive into that more a little later.

Apart from memory, a second language can actually improve your problem-solving skills.

Take a look at row A and B and tell me as quickly as possible if the very middle arrows in each row are pointing in the same or opposite directions.

Bilinguals are able to make this decision and react more quickly.

Now, what word is this?

And what color is this?

Pretty easy.

Now I'm gonna rapidly switch between asking you for either the written word or the color, and you say which it is as fast as possible.

What word is this?

What color is this?

Word.

Word.

Color.

Color.

Color.

Word.

Even into old age, bilinguals demonstrate much faster reaction times.

Brain scans even show that the anterior cingulate cortex, which is often associated with attention, decision-making, and impulse control, is more efficient in bilinguals, making them better at suppressing irrelevant information and focusing on a given task.

Speaking of focus, if I start to talk to you but insert some distracting sounds and noises in the background so that it's a little harder to hear or understand me, bilinguals are actually better at tuning out this noise and ultimately suppressing the irrelevant information.

But the benefits of bilingualism only get more shocking, and you can start your journey towards them with today's sponsor, Duolingo, who I'm super happy is supporting this video because I'm a huge fan and a user myself.

Learning a new language is extremely daunting, but Duolingo has cracked the code by making the experience like a game so it doesn't feel like a chore and helps you make it a routine, which is the number one factor to becoming bilingual.

I've been using Duolingo to learn Spanish.

My longest streak is 115 days in a row, which I know is probably nothing to some of you, but I am super proud of it.

And I'm currently working through section three, learning how to describe activities.

No entendemos esta clase.

No entendemos esta clase.

Ooh, love that sound.

The competitive leaderboards keep me coming back, like right now I'm in the Pearl League and I do not wanna drop out.

And I also love when I get to team up with Greg or other friends and complete challenges together.

But don't be deceived by the fun design.

Duolingo uses research-backed teaching methods that have been tested for decades, and it prepares you for real conversations with reading, writing, listening, and speaking practice.

After four to six weeks using Duolingo, eight out of 10 learners can start a conversation.

You can learn five semesters worth of language instruction in five sections on Duolingo.

I love the lesson length too, because it allows you to learn on the go, anywhere, anytime.

It's honestly been a game changer for me in terms of keeping up the habit and getting me closer to the many benefits of bilingualism.

So a huge thanks again to Duolingo for supporting this episode and our channel.

And now back to more of the amazing benefits of learning another language.

Wanna be more creative?

One study took 150 people and tested their performance on creativity.

They used standard written exercises to evaluate each individual's ability to create solutions to unique problems while encouraging them to use their imagination.

And while monolinguals typically had an advantage with verbal exercises due to having more first language vocabulary, bilinguals were more creative with non-verbal solutions, likely because they perceived the world from a wide range of perspectives, which may promote novel and creative ways of problem solving.

And many other studies have found similar results showing that bilingualism and creativity are positively correlated, regardless of age, race, or gender.

Bilinguals are better at both divergent thinking and convergent thinking, and show stronger cognitive inhibition and cognitive flexibility.

This creative advantage has even been shown in fields such as math, where bilingualism seems to affect flexibility in problem solving and promotes a more robust development of creative thinking.

Now, if you've ever worried that teaching young kids multiple languages can slow them down, most research actually shows the opposite.

While some language milestones may show delay, the child is doing double the work after all, ultimately learning a second language helps children to better understand the grammar of their first language and does not negatively impact their first language proficiency.

Not only that, but second language learners also show advantages when it comes to learning math and understanding mathematical concepts.

They even show enhanced spelling and superior reading comprehension.

In fact, immersion program students have matched or better academic achievement compared to their monolingual peers overall.

But perhaps one of the most profound discoveries in recent years is that bilingualism may actually delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia that involves memory loss and other cognitive disabilities.

In fact, studies have found that Alzheimer's onset is around four to five years later in bilingual patients compared to monolinguals, regardless of sex, lifestyle, education, or occupation.

But even for those who won't end up suffering from dementia, you can still expect your brain to slow as you age from brain atrophy and the loss of synaptic connections.

But learning a second language can play an important role in this too.

Some scientists are now suggesting we promote language learning programs for older populations because it engages brain networks that overlap with regions negatively affected by aging.

This touches on a concept known as cognitive reserves.

The idea that over our life, we develop this reserve of thinking abilities.

The bigger that reserve, the more aging or disease it takes to break down our capacity.

In other words, if you build lots of neuronal connections in your brain through your life, losing some from aging won't impact you as severely or as soon.

Bilingual people have even been shown to recover better after a stroke.

Of course, learning anything new can impact resilience or cognitive reserve, but language learning seems to be particularly special in this regard.

At the end of the day, not only does learning another language connect you with other cultures, improve your economic outcomes, and let you see the world with a different perspective, it's an incredible way to actually stimulate and challenge your brain with a ton of real benefits that will last a lifetime.

If you wanna add me on Duolingo as a friend, my username is at asapsciencemitch, where we can tackle learning another language together.

I hope to call myself fluent in Spanish one day, if not more languages.

I'm curious where you're at in your second or third or fourth language journey.

Feel free to leave a comment below on your experience with language learning in Duolingo, and we'll see you ASAP for some more science.

Peace.