105 Journal 10

[Michelle Davidson]

I am not surprised by the findings in "Why Bilinguals Are Smarter" by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee. I think learning languages improves executive functioning so it would seem reasonable that the more languages one learned, the more easily and efficiently one could switch tasks, solve mental problems, or avoid distractions. It is interesting to note how the perspective on bilingualism has changed over time- from it being perceived as a hindrance to an enormous benefit. I consider myself lucky because I grew up in a house where English and Spanish were spoken so I became pretty bilingual from a young age. I was always jealous of my cousins though who were raised speaking French, English, and Spanish, which I think provided them with an even greater advantage. One reason I think bilingualism is advantageous is because you become accustomed to thinking in more than one language it facilitates an ability to more adeptly see things from more than one perspective or approach problems with a range of different alternatives.