Learning a language can increase your brain size!

by Sarah Adams

According to Swedish scientists, learning an additional language can increase the size of your brain. The study focused on a control group of hard working, Medical and Cognitive Science Students from the US. By measuring their brains before and after the language training, a group of researchers had the unique opportunity to observe what happens to the brain when a language is learnt in a short period of time.

The Swedish MRI study, showed that students who had learnt or were learning an additional language had considerable brain growth in comparison to students who were not bilingual having unchanged brain structures.

According to The Telegraph, learning an additional language can improve the functionality of your brain by challenging it to recognise, negotiate meaning, and communicate in different language systems. Educators often liken the brain to a muscle, because it functions better with exercise, improving overall memory- making language speakers considerably better at remembering lists or sequences. Studies suggest it can also build your multi-tasking skills, reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer's and can enhance your perception.

If you want to increase your brain size or just want to master an additional language - regardless of the scope of your linguistic ambition, First Tutors: Languages is a great place to start: we have language teachers catering to all knowledge levels across the whole of the UK.