These benefits extend way beyond being able to order a cup of tea abroad. Longitudinal studies by Harvard University confirm that learning additional languages increases critical thinking skills, creativity and flexibility of the mind in young children. Pupils who learn a foreign language outscore their non-foreign language peers in verbal and maths standardized tests, indicating that learning additional language is a cognitive activity not just a linguistic one. The brain, like any muscle, functions better with exercise. Learning a language involves memorizing rules and vocabulary, which helps strengthen that mental muscle.