I found the article "Why Bilinguals Are Smarter" very interesting. It is commonly known that being bilingual gives you an advantage in such a competitive world. Many people believe that knowing two or more languages gives you an advantage only in the real world where you communicate with other people. However, this article reveals that apart from well-known benefits of being a bilingual, recent research has shown that bilingual people are much smarter than monolinguals. In a bilingual brain, both languages are always active even when he/she is using only one language at a moment. Having both languages active creates interference (which is a downside), but it creates something much more important: "it gives the mind a workout to strengthen its cognitive muscles." The research showed that bilinguals are more skilled in solving certain mental puzzles, and that their executive function is more developed (executive function is a command system that directs the attention processes that is used for planning and solving problems and also helps you stay focused on a task.) Research conducted at the University of California in San Diego found that bilinguals with a higher degree of bilingualism were more resistant to symptoms of Alzheimer's disease than individuals with a lower degree of bilingualism.
After reading this article, I can say that I am proud for being bilingual. I feel smart!
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