Foreign languages ​​help people change their personality

People who know at least one foreign language feel their personality and way of looking at things differently when switching from one language to another.

Many previous studies have shown that the way people perceive events and express emotions is different when they do not speak their mother tongue. From that result, many scientists believe that those who are at least one foreign language can change their personality in the blink of an eye by switching languages.

To explore this issue, experts from Baruch University (New York, USA) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (USA) experimented with many volunteers fluent in English and Spanish. The team asked volunteers to watch the promotional videos in Spanish, which described many women in different situations. Six months later, the volunteers watched the video again, but this time the language in the film was English.

After that, the experts asked the volunteers to assess themselves and to express their views on the women in the promotional film.

The results showed that, when watching the Spanish version, volunteers felt stronger and more assertive. They also see women in the film more outward and independent.

"When watching a Spanish video, the majority of volunteers saw the female character as an adventurous, open and optimistic person. But when watching the English version, they saw that woman was lonely and compassionate. "It is important and passive in life," said David Luna, an expert at Baruch University.