What Being Bilingual Does to Your Brain (It's Not What You Think)
About this Event
Event description
Bilingualism is often framed in extremes. Either it makes you cognitively superior, or it is treated as a source of confusion and interference. The real story is subtler, and much more interesting.
In this talk, Dominique Louër explores what research actually shows about how speaking more than one language shapes attention, memory, and the way the brain adapts over time. Drawing on work in neurolinguistics and cognition, she looks past the clichés to examine what bilingual experience really changes, what it does not, and why the science is often more nuanced than the headlines suggest.
This is a conversation for anyone curious about language, the brain, and aging, especially in a city like Montreal where bilingualism is part of everyday life. Expect a sharper understanding of the evidence, a more grounded view of what bilingualism does in practice, and a more thoughtful take on a topic that is constantly oversimplified.
What the audience will walk away with
- A clearer sense of what bilingualism does and does not change in the brain
- A more grounded understanding of the research on attention, memory, and cognitive aging
- A better framework for separating scientific evidence from popular myths about bilingualism
About the speaker
Dominique Louër is a researcher at McGill University whose work explores the relationship between language, cognition, and the brain. She is also a lecturer at the Université de Montréal, where she teaches courses on bilingualism, language disorders, and experimental linguistics. Her research focuses on how multilingualism and neurological conditions shape language and communication across the lifespan.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 13.18 to CAD 30.75
