Who Are You When You Speak? Exploring the "Second Self" in Foreign Languages

There is an old, often-quoted proverb: "To have another language is to possess a second soul." For a long time, this was dismissed as mere poetic sentiment. 

However, at The Foreign Language Institute (TFLI), we see it happen in our classrooms every day. But recent studies in psycholinguistics suggest that the "Second Soul" isn't just a metaphor, it happens to be  a measurable psychological shift. 

A landmark study by Nairan Ramírez-Esparza (University of Texas) found that bilingual speakers actually score differently on personality tests depending on which language they use. For example, participants often scored higher on "Extraversion" when speaking English versus Spanish, unconsciously aligning their personality with the cultural norms associated with the language.

Here’s a fact that might surprise you: you actually make better decisions in a second language. Our native tongue is deeply tied to our "emotional brain." It’s the language of our childhood, full of memories and feelings. But because a second language is usually learned later, it has more emotional distance, thus allowing you to solve problems more rationally and logically.

Why do we feel like a different person, you may ask? Well, it's  because learning a language is like cultural priming. To put it simply, your brain is also picking up the “vibe” of the culture. 

At The Foreign Language Institute, we don't want you to just “pass a level.” We want you to discover who you are in another culture.

Let us help you unlock your “Second Soul.” So, who do you want to be today? Come say hi at TFLI, and let’s find your “Second Self” together!