You know that little voice in your head?Yeah, that one. The one that tells you not to look over to your neighbor's paper when you're taking a test. The one that tells you to wear your seat belt. The one that you use when you're weighing the pros and cons of a situation in hopes of coming to the right decision.
What language is that voice in? Yes, I know it might seem a bit irrelevant at first. Besides, it's the message that matter right? Well, not really.
A prominent research study shows that people do in fact think more rationally when thinking in a foreign language. Participants were asked whether they would kill one person to save five. When asked in their native language, only 20% said they would sacrifice the life of the one person. Interestingly enough, when the question was posed in a foreign language, the percentage shot up to 33% indicating that people were more inclined to make the utilitarian decision when posed with the question in a different language.
But why? This phenomenon is still being studied by psychologists all around the world, but there seems to be one popular theory that may explain the findings of the aforementioned study. There's something special about one's native language. A language that is used when fighting, loving, and grieving. Native languages are tied to emotions, so thinking in a foreign language may allow people to think without being swayed by emotion.
¿En qué idioma va a pensar?
What language is that voice in? Yes, I know it might seem a bit irrelevant at first. Besides, it's the message that matter right? Well, not really.
A prominent research study shows that people do in fact think more rationally when thinking in a foreign language. Participants were asked whether they would kill one person to save five. When asked in their native language, only 20% said they would sacrifice the life of the one person. Interestingly enough, when the question was posed in a foreign language, the percentage shot up to 33% indicating that people were more inclined to make the utilitarian decision when posed with the question in a different language.
But why? This phenomenon is still being studied by psychologists all around the world, but there seems to be one popular theory that may explain the findings of the aforementioned study. There's something special about one's native language. A language that is used when fighting, loving, and grieving. Native languages are tied to emotions, so thinking in a foreign language may allow people to think without being swayed by emotion.
¿En qué idioma va a pensar?