Speaking of psychology is taking a winter break.

So we're rerunning some of our favorite episodes from the past.

Last year, I talked to researcher Vioreka Marion about why speaking multiple languages is good for the brain

and about how language shapes the way we see the world.

We hope you enjoy this episode from the archives.

Speaking of Psychology will be back with new episodes in early January. Thank you for listening. Over the past 40 years,

the number of people in the United States who speak a language other than English at home has

nearly tripled to 68 million. That's about one

and every five Americans. And in many other parts of the world, bilingualism and multilingualism

are even more common. In fact, more than half the world's population speaks more than one language.

In recent years, scientists have begun to explore what's going on in the brains

of people who are bilingual or multilingual, and they found evidence that speaking multiple

languages may have cognitive benefits that include improving people's executive function abilities

and slowing down the progression of age-related dementia. Researchers are also learning more

about how the bilingual brain processes language and how the languages we speak shape the way we think

and perceive the world. So why might speaking multiple languages have such far-reaching benefits?

How does the brain process more than one language at a time?

How do the languages we speak affect the way we see the world and the decisions we make?

And what counts as being bilingual?

Are people who are fluent in computer code or even math or music bilingual?

And finally, if you're interested in the benefits of learning a new language, is it ever

too late to try?

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