Growing up in bilingual home 'provides lasting cognitive benefits'

Growing up in a bilingual home can provide unexpected cognitive benefits later in life – especially if exposed to two or more languages from birth. UK experts found that adults who were exposed earlier to two languages in their lives were the highest performers in cognitive tests. 'Early bilinguals' – those who learn a second language as an infant or young child – have cognitive advantages over those who learn a second language later, suggesting the earlier we're exposed to two languages, the better for our brains. In the experiments, early bilinguals were found to be quicker at shifting attention and detecting visual changes compared to adults who learnt their second language later in life (late bilinguals). Both early and late bilinguals performed better than those people who spent their early lives in single-language homes.