Can Learning a New Language Help Improve Memory?

*in collaboration with Emily Jones

It’s called digital amnesia: Nowadays, we are entrusting our phones with all the things we used to remember on our own, effectively diminishing our memory. One in two people can’t remember their children’s phone number, one in three can’t even remember their partner’s phone number.

How can we train our ability to remember? Learning a new language can help the brain improve concentration and aid memory, as explained in the infographic “SOS memory: does learning languages help the brain?” by Babbel, the world’s first language learning app. 

I used to be an EFL teacher (English as a foreign language) as many of you will know and I lived in Sicily for 3 years, teaching English as well as learning Italian whilst immersed in this culture. It got to the point where I even began to think in Italian, and even now I sometimes slip back into using the Italian words and it has often been remarked, how good my memory is, so maybe there is something to this!

From Plato’s aversion for writing, the culprit of taking away some of our memory, to fun facts about polyglots and the language of space, this infographic will take you on a journey into our ability to remember, and the help that learning a new language or two can provide. 

Short lessons, a new routine and spaced repetition are all useful tips and practices to help one’s memory not only with a new language, but also in all everyday situations, as proven by a Swedish study: Those who take language courses are better at remembering names of the people they just met. 

I find this whole idea fascinating, and if you follow my Instagram and Facebook stories, you’ll know I have been on a journey recently to makeover my whole life, mind body and soul. The thought of perhaps re-visiting the Italian I once knew, fairly well and taking it to the next level is super appealing, so perhaps, I should be re-learning the foreign language I fell in love with.

Let me ask you, do you know any foreign languages or do you have a desire to learn one?