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Bilingual people consistently score differently on personality assessments depending on which language they take them in. Neuroscience research shows that switching languages activates different neural networks in the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia, regions that overlap with those governing self-regulation and identity. There’s also an emotional dimension, as people tend to experience emotions with less intensity in their second language. When you switch languages, you’re activating a different web of cultural associations and emotional memories, and your brain subtly recalibrates who you are in response.

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If you speak more than one language, you might have noticed something you couldn't quite explain. You feel slightly different depending on which language you are speaking. More assertive in one, more polite in another, funnier in one, more reserved in the other. It turns out this isnt your imagination. Research consistently shows that bilingual people score differently on personality assessments depending on which language they complete them in.

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A 2023 study asked Swedish-English bilinguals to rate themselves on the Big Five personality dimensions in either Swedish or English while imagining they were applying for a job at either a Swedish or American Company. The results showed that language, independant of cultural context, influenced how participants rated their own personality. This phenomemon is sometimes called the cultural associations, emotional memories, and social norms.

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When you switch languages, your brain activates the network of associations tied to that language, and your self-perception subtly shifts. Neuroscience research helps explain why. When bilinguals swicth languages their brain activates different neural networks to control which language is in use and which is surpressed. This involves the prefrontal cortex and the anterior congulate cortex, and the basal ganglia, regions that overlap with those involved in self regulation and identity.

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Brain imaging studies have also found that bilinguals have structural differences in these regions compared to monolinguals. The more experience you have managing two languages, the more your brain physically adapts, building denser connections in areas responsible for cognitive control.

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There's also an emotional dimension. Research shows that people tend to experience emotions with less intensity in their second language. This is thought to happen because the emotional associations with your first languageare deeper and more automatic, while your second language creates a slight emotional distance. this is why some bilinguals feel they can discuss difficult topics more easily in their second language. The emotional buffer that comes with a non-native language can make it easier to be direct, analytical, or detached. so when you swicth languages, you're not just changing words. You're activating a different web of cultural associations, emotional memories, and cognitive patterns. And your brain subtly recalibrates who you are in response.

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Studies:

The effect of language and cultural context on the BIG-5 personality inventory in bilinguals. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2023.2186414

Mapping individual aspects of bilingual experience to adaptations in brain structure. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhae029

Dynamic effects of bilingualism on brain structure map onto general principles of experience-based neuroplasticity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30326-3

Source: @goodneuroscience

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