Learning languages boosts your brain

Researchers from University College London report that learning a second language “boosts” brain-power. The scientists studied the brains of 105 people, 80 of whom were bilingual. They found that much like exercise builds muscles, learning languages alters grey matter, the area of the brain that processes information. This is not just the kind of change your brain goes through as a result of increased stimulation, but actual brain development.

There is even more good news for children learning a second language. They are likely to have more advanced grey matter than those who learned later, the scientists said.

What do you think? Ready to work out your left inferior parietal cortex?