In an environment where relationships with employees are more complex, Human Capital Management (HCM) is becoming a cornerstone for companies to achieve motivation of the workforce. Within HCM, strategies focused on improving the mental well-being of employees are directed to the satisfaction of the most sophisticated needs of employees and thus can help to improve the motivation of employees and their engagement with the employer, contributing to employee retention and productivity.

At COMLIGO, we understand the importance of mental well-being in the workplace as in daily life. Mental and psychological well-being includes our emotional, psychological, and social health. It positively affects how we think, feel, and act, helping us to feel more positive and prevent health issues like mental health.

Learning a New Language & Mental Well-Being

According to the WHO, positive lifestyle changes and activities, e.g. learning a new language, are some of the factors linked to an individuals’ mental well-being. They may reduce the employees’ risk to get mentally ill as they enhance their brain activity.

COMLIGO analyzed some of the factors that affect mental well-being to discover how they are positively affected by activities like learning a language:

ANXIETY LEVEL

Mistakes often occur in language learning and are useful to improve, so the anxiety associated with the fear of failure will disappear without affecting self-esteem.

Useful new organization and learning techniques are developed through the systematic approach associated with language learning. By practicing them, an improvement in managing stress and the ability to relax will be noticed.

SLEEPING CAPACITY

Sleeping capacity is related to anxiety. Learning a new language can decrease the levels of anxiety, thus contributing positively to sleep capacity.

LEVEL OF CONCENTRATION

Studies show that learning a language can positively affect the level of concentration:

• Adults proficient in two languages perform better on attention tests.

• Learning a new language in adulthood can also delay the onset of Alzheimer’s.

• People who speak two or three languages for several years could delay the symptoms of mental diseases by five years.

Language learning improves people's thinking skills and memory abilities. Bilingual people concentrate better and ignore distractions more effectively than their monolingual counterparts.

COGNITIVE SKILLS

Learning a second language boosts cognitive abilities. Multiple studies corroborate the positive correlation between learning a new language and the increase in IQ.

Language learning programs aimed at older people may be an optimal solution for building cognitive reserve because language learning engages an extensive brain network known to overlap with the regions negatively affected by the aging process. Plus learning a new language through an immersive process supports the development of functions like attention and mental alertness.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, use, and manage emotions to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict.

Three key elements of Emotional intelligence:

Social skills: learning a new language develops social skills, improving the employees’ ability to interact.

Centered in self-confidence: language learning grows self-confidence, especially at the beginning of the learning process.

Motivation: it rewards the employees for their efforts; the professional and personal benefits will keep the employees motivated.

Final Thoughts

Learning a new language can be beneficial to your mental well-being in the long run. Learning a second language increases intelligence, keeps the mind sharp, and protects the brain from aging.