Emotional Regulation in Bilinguals: Insights from a New Study

Just now October 1, 2026 1 min read 📰 Phys.org

📋 Key Takeaway

A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that expressing emotions in a second language does not activate the emotional brain regions as effectively as in a native language, particularly for balanced bilinguals. This research highlights the cognitive and emotional complexities faced by bilingual individuals. Understanding these dynamics is important for Iran, where bilingualism is common due to its diverse linguistic landscape.

Say "I'm angry" out loud, and your brain reacts to it, reducing the use of emotional brain regions. But this trick does not work if you say it in your second language. A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that it doesn't work in any language if you are a balanced bilingual.