Why You Should Insist on Learning a New Language

You shouldn’t let learning a new language keep you from considering a non-English-speaking country as your new home base.

Greetings from Cerritos Beach, Mexico!

As we settle into the fourth week of our six-month stay here, I’ve ramped up my efforts to learn Spanish. 

I’m kicking myself for not having learned the language already, given how many false starts I’ve had dating back to high school in Texas, where Spanish is the unofficial second language.

But sometimes you need extended exposure to gain enough motivation. And while plenty of people speak English here in Baja Sur, there’s enough daily interaction with those who don’t to keep me sticking to my lessons and practicing at every opportunity.

And that’s a benefit I think a lot of people are missing. Even though a staggering number of Americans want to leave the United States at this point, most want to go to a country where they won’t have to learn a new language.

Places like Canada, Australia, and the U.K. The problem is, those countries don’t exactly need or want you to move there.

Meanwhile, countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama make it very easy and attractive to visit for extended periods and even gain residency, which can lead to citizenship. But yes, Spanish is the dominant language, and it pays to learn it.

Or maybe you dream of France, Italy, or Spain. Learning the language is a big part of the experience… otherwise, you’re missing out on much of the charm.

So, you shouldn’t let learning a new language keep you from considering a non-English-speaking country as your new home base. In fact, you should insist on it.

Won’t it Be Difficult at Midlife?

Learning new things seems tougher as we get older, and to a degree, it is. Whether it’s a new language, a musical instrument, or surfing, it takes more work than when you were a kid.

And that’s exactly why you should do it. Attempting challenging new things improves your cognitive functioning, and it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it pushes your abilities.

Learning another language, in particular, keeps the brain in optimum condition by providing tools to decrease memory loss and increase neurological regeneration. These benefits have been proven to continue even into old age.

And contrary to popular belief, learning a new language at midlife isn’t any harder than taking up golf, the cello, or juggling. In fact, learning a new language when you’re older is similar to learning to juggle, says Roger Kreuz, a psychology professor who studies language at the University of Memphis.

"Juggling appears very impressive if you can't juggle,” Kreuz says. “But it turns out that almost anybody can learn how to do it in a fairly short period of time, assuming that they get the effective training for doing it.” 

So yes, you can without doubt learn a new language. And in doing so, you may have an advantage at midlife that transcends the processing speed that may have slightly diminished. 

Adriana Jiménez learned German in her 50s, and she credits the perseverance that comes with maturity for keeping her on track. At midlife, we seek personal satisfaction by giving ourselves new challenges as our values and interests shift in new directions, and we’ve developed the ability to stick to them.

More Than Words Can Say

Beyond the benefits of neuroplasticity that come from learning new things, a second language seems to have more going for it than other challenging new skills:

According to several studies, people who study a language do significantly better on standardized tests. Language management calls upon executive functions such as attention control, cognitive inhibition, and working memory; and there is mounting evidence that bi- and multi-lingual people are better at analyzing their surroundings, multitasking, and problem solving.

There’s also evidence that bilingual people develop a larger dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and a lowered chance of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and stroke.

So yeah, learning a new language is probably a better choice (and less frustrating) than golf. And also less challenging than remembering “dorsal anterior cingulate cortex” when recommending this newsletter at parties.

Finally, cultural immersion gives you the best shot of becoming proficient in another language at midlife. Short of turning back the clock and becoming a younger person, living in a place where your target language is spoken will put Dualingo and Rosetta Stone to shame.

"Being young is good,” says Joshua Hartshorne, a researcher and director of the Language Learning Laboratory at Boston College. “Being in the place where the language is spoken and trying to speak it all day is even better."

Free Your Mind and the Rest Will Follow

As you might expect, bilingual people make more money than those who speak only their native tongue, which may come in handy at this new stage of your career. And the more languages you learn, the easier it becomes to learn other languages.

Perhaps most importantly, learning another language can sharpen your judgment and expand your wisdom, which are the key components of the crystallized intelligence that makes midlife your competitive advantage over younger people:

Being multilingual can also improve judgement. According to one recent study, people who think through a moral dilemma in a foreign language come to much more rational, or utilitarian, conclusions — perhaps because certain words lose some of their emotional weight, or because the problem is seen from a different cultural perspective or processed through different neural channels.

Being fluent in more than one language gives you insight into other ways of seeing the world. That helps you develop empathy and openness to new ideas and perspectives — skills that give you an edge on your journey into an accelerating future.

The point is, fear of a new language shouldn’t hold you back in any way. It’s one of the best things you can do for your midlife brain while expanding your abilities, worldview, and even your bank balance.

Keep going-

Brian

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further: destinations

Since my temporary new base is at Cerritos Beach in Mexico, I thought I’d dig into some research on other locations in Mexico that look promising:

The Expat Life in Lake Chapala, Mexico

Lake Chapala is located about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Guadalajara and is Mexico’s largest freshwater lake.

According to International Living, the surrounding area is also home to the largest concentration of expats in the world, mainly from the U.S. and Canada, with approximately 20,000 permanently residing there.

+ Find out more

Puerto Vallarta: Why This Mexican Paradise Could Be Your Unexpected Home Base

Can you really have it all? Affordable living, modern amenities, natural beauty, and a thriving international community are some of the reasons Puerto Vallarta proves that plenty do.

But Puerto Vallarta is not just another expat destination. It's a place where your quality of life dramatically improves while your cost of living plummets.

+ Find out more

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further: flashback

🎶 Deee-Lite – Groove Is In The Heart, World Clique, 1990 🎶

What do you get when you cross a Ukrainian DJ, a Japanese DJ, and a singer/lyricist from Ohio with Bootsy Collins, Maceo Parker, and Q-Tip? A funk/hip-hop/house music mashup called Groove Is In the Heart that ruled the summer of 1990. (YouTube)

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