Learning a second language comes with a number of benefits, from driving creativity to increasing your earnings potential. One of the benefits of studying another language that often gets overlooked is its impact on mental health. The improvement in mental health derives from a number of distinct factors related to learning a new language, from being more social to learning new ways of thinking about the world. With all of these factors taken together, the impact can be quite profound. While the evidence for using language learning to fight depression remains anecdotal, there are clear reasons to look at this relationship more scientifically in the near future. Considering that language learning is being linked to practices like mindfulness that are being used to improve mental health, it would not be surprising to see some studies published relatively soon. Below are some of the key ways in which learning another language can improve your mental health.
1. You Get a Self-Esteem Boost
A healthy amount of self-esteem can help stave off the symptoms of depression while also giving you the confidence to take risks and grow in both your personal and professional lives. Each time you conjugate a verb correctly or recall a particular word, you get a little ego boost. After all, learning a new language is hard work, but the wins come frequently and build on each other. The first time you have an effortless conversation or even just understand the lyrics in a song are unforgettable moments that show the progress you have made. Often, these little boosts create a positive feedback loop that leads to gains in other areas. Perhaps you attempt something you never thought possible because of your newfound confidence, whether that means pursuing a new career or just taking up a new weekend hobby. The self-esteem boost of learning a new language can have a resounding impact on many parts of your life, not to mention an improvement in your mood with the increase in both serotonin and dopamine.
2. You Become More Empathetic
As you study a different language, you are forced to consider new points of view. From word order to idioms, there is an intricate link between language, culture, and world view. If you simply translate some phrases from English to a different language, they will make no sense. Likewise, you will hear expressions in foreign languages that are bizarre. As you recognize and analyze these differences, you will start to adopt the mindset of someone who speaks the other language and gain an appreciation for cultures that are different from your own. This means your ability to empathize increases, which is important for mental health in terms of both driving insight and helping you to realize that you are not alone in the world. Plus, learning to look at things from new angles ultimately makes us more resilient and able to adapt when necessary.
3. You Create Positive Habits for the Future
When you dedicate yourself to learning a new language, you necessarily adopt a goal-oriented mindset. Even if you only study a few minutes each day, you create a goal for yourself and work toward something you want for the future. This sort of goal-oriented mindset often becomes muddled when someone has mental health struggles, which can lead to issues related to motivation, time management, and more. However, setting a modest language learning goal and seeing progress shows what you can do when you set your mind to something, and it becomes a powerful template for making other changes that you want to see in your life. Many people are able to keep the momentum going after one success and create a new goal related to something different. These individual goals become habits over time. In that way, learning a new language can be the catalyst for creating new, positive habits in your life
4. You Reduce the Burden of Social Anxiety
Life can become quite difficult when you have a lot of social anxiety. Unfortunately, society rewards people with good social skills and puts pressure on people to develop them. If you need help in this arena, studying a new language could be the answer. As you study a new language, you will need to spend a lot of time talking to different people. While this can be very difficult for someone with social anxiety, the classroom provides a structured safe space for this socialization. Speaking a new language means embracing a position of vulnerability and accepting the fact that you will make mistakes. Doing this relieves a lot of the anxiety you might feel and gives you space to have fun. Coming out of your comfort zone in this way makes it easier to do so in other contexts. This boost of confidence can help you in both your personal and professional life while also helping you to develop key communication skills that will serve you regardless of the language you happen to be speaking.