How does the language you speak change your view of the world?

Bilinguals receive a lot of privileges. They have prospects for employment for a high-paying position, they have a powerful intellect and are even protected against dementia. Thanks to new scientific data, we have even more learned about people who are equally fluent in two languages. It turns out that bilinguals look at the world in different ways, depending on the language in which they are currently speaking.

Benefits of using multiple languages

Since 2000, science has been closely involved in the study of bilingualism. The overwhelming number of studies have revealed evidence of the cognitive advantages of bilingual people. When a person switches his thinking process from one language to another, he trains the flexibility of the brain, like gymnasts in the gym who are engaged in stretching.

Regular physical exercises are needed not only for the muscles. If the body after training receives biological benefits, then the brain, capable of thinking in two or more languages, gets the benefits of cognitive. Scientists point out that the flexibility that the brain acquires through this kind of mental activity is capable of giving powerful dividends in old age. So, typical signs of cognitive aging in bilinguals are manifested much later. Dementia or Alzheimer's disease can be delayed for at least five years.

Images of the thinking of the Germans and the British

A curious example of change in thinking can be people who simultaneously speak English and German. It would seem that there are no more contradictory nations in terms of actions, culture, thinking and traditions. In a new study, the results of which are published in the scientific edition of Psychological Science, scientists have identified differences in the way they think.

The German and English speakers were invited to view the same video clip based on the movement. It could be a woman walking to her luxury car, or a young man, cycling for shopping. It is curious that the Germans described not only the action itself, but also the ultimate goal of the process. Therefore, German speakers have focused their attention on the destination of the heroes of the video clip. But the British, on the contrary, did not see any ultimate goal, but fully focused on the process itself: the guy is going, and the girl is defile.

Conclusions of the first stage

As you can see, the same action or event was evaluated by the participants of the experiment in different ways. German-speaking volunteers evaluated the phenomenon itself: from the initial stage to the final one. English speakers emphasized the details. Scientists tend to believe that the difference in the way of thinking can be caused by the use of various grammatical structures. Thus, verbal constructions in English allow describing the action taking place at a given time. The German language is devoid of such a temporary form.

The next stage of the experiment

Then the volunteers from each group showed three video clips. Participants had to choose a video with the most and least obvious goals. The heroine of the video could march to the car, walk along a rural street or go along the corridor of a public institution. The overwhelming number of subjects in the German group have absolutely chosen the most unequivocal goal. But in the representatives of the English-speaking group this task caused considerable difficulties. Thus, the second stage of the experiment demonstrated the same curious fact. The speakers of the German language are more focused on the final outcome of the process, the English are catching the action itself.

What happens if you answer another language?

The next step in this experiment was the involvement of bilingual people in the tests. It is curious that the Germans, thinking and speaking English, did not change their way of thinking at all. The same happened with the British. People who answered in a language other than their own were guided by habits in their reasoning. So, the British still perceived the process (despite the fact that the German language is not convenient for describing a long present time), and the Germans still focused on the final result. As we see, when you switch from one language to another in a conversation with another, the person's mindset remains unchanged.

What happens if you switch thoughts?

At the previous stage of the study, the volunteers, when watching the video, thought in their native language, and answered in a strange way. The researchers immediately realized that the experiment was in jeopardy, and suddenly decided to change the assignment for the participants. While watching the video, German speakers had to whisper the number number in English, and vice versa. Thus, people could not think in their native language. Such a temporary blocking of thoughts led to striking results. The English, interpreting the process in German, responded like typical residents of Germany. And the Germans suddenly overlooked the ultimate goal of the process! "Re-programmed" bilinguals made great adjustments to the results of the study.

Conclusion

The participants of the experiment managed to share their conclusions. Thinking and speaking in a foreign language, people felt themselves differently. Depending on which language the bilinguals were talking at the moment, they could experience different emotions. It's like if two different intellectual persons "sat" in the mind of a person. Switching from one language to another, you can see new solutions to complex problems. It's like looking at the process from a different angle. As we see, the privileges of bilingual people are deservedly honored. For example, large corporations, employing such a person, rely on the flexibility of the employee's thinking in difficult situations. Also, bilinguals are used to think rationally. Thinking in a non-native language, they are deprived of the usual emotional coloring. Consequently, all words and concepts are perceived only in essence.