What is "foreign language effect" that you can make logical and calm decisions when speaking in a foreign language?

ByWorld Bank Photo Collection

"If you talk about" the words understood by the other person, "the words will reach the head of the other person, but if you talk with" the other party's words ", the words will reach the partner's heart" President of South AfricaNelson MandelaIt is said that Mr. unconsciously used it "Foreign Language Effect"is. Mapping Ignorance summarizes what foreign language effects used by Mr. Mandela who was excellent in bargaining power are.

Mandela was right: the Foreign Language Effect | Language | Mapping Ignorance
http://mappingignorance.org/2014/02/03/mandela-was-right-the-foreign-language-effect/


Former President Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for state treason in 1964 and floats off the coast 12 km from Cape TownRobben IslandI was imprisoned for 27 years. Initially being imprisoned against a white guard insulting African peopleI was holding my angerMr. Mandela, but they talkAfrikaansStarting to learn and talking to the guards, I start to realize that being angry is meaningless.

That prison lifemovies, And a guard called Gregory who can talk about Mr. Mandela's hometown's word "Kosa" regretted against the death of Mr. Mandela's son, a friendly relationship between the two was made There is depicted the episode called ... ....

ByBK

To Mr. Mandela who talked about Afrikaans, many African activists showed anger. However, President of the Republic of South AfricaFrederick Willem DeclarkMr. Mandela talked with President Mr. Deklark's mother tongue when he held a secret talk with Mr. Mandela, he could use the "foreign language effect" without fail to carry the talks favorably to himself It is a fact.

It was held in 2011The Foreign-Language EffectAccording to a study that says something with a foreign language, people can not make the same judgment as their decision using their mother tongue. Many factors are mixed when making a decision, but the decision to "disgust with respect to losing things" by a decision occupies a greater proportion than "pleasure getting things you never had before" It is thought. However, when using a foreign language, this "disgusting about losing what you have" disappears.

For example, a situation arises that "a new kind of disease that has never existed has become prevalent, and 600,000 people will die if there is no medicine", and as a medicine against the disease, 200,000 lives can be saved "Medicine A"With a probability of 1/3, we can help everyone"Medicine B"There are two kinds of medicines, which you have existed.

When explaining this situation, "Aversion to losing things you have (loss) "," 400,000 people will die if "medicine A" is used, but if "medicine B" is used, everyone can survive with a probability of 33.3%Everyone dies with a probability of 66.6%On the other hand, "pleasure of getting something you never had before (Acquisition) "In terms of viewpoint" If you choose "medicine A"200 thousand people surviveHowever, if you choose "medicine B", everyone will survive with a probability of 33.3%, and 66.6% of the probability will result in the death of everyone "with the probability of being all" born.

ByThomas Thomas

The two captures the same thing from another viewpoint, but when focusing on "the number of survivors (acquisition)", many people choose drug A with less risk and " When we focus on number (loss), we tend to choose drug B that is at risk.

To confirm this phenomenon, the research team asked the students who participated in the verification "a group of 121 people who studied Japanese on average for three years in their mother tongue" and "a mother tongue is Korean but about 10 years English Group of 144 people learned "and" Group of 103 people who studied French in Paris in English but mother tongue was English for 6 years "and randomly listens to each group's students in their mother tongue or foreign language , And asked whether to choose A drug or B drug for the above problem.

As a result, students who responded in their mother tongue clarified the disgust for loss, whereas the dislike of loss from students who responded in foreign languages ​​faded away and the choices with safe options and high risks were virtually at the same rate It began to choose.


Based on this result, the research team concludes that "Using foreign languages ​​can take psychological distances to problems and become cautious." Foreign languages ​​are not strongly tied to our emotions, so even if a certain word is focused on, it is possible to think logically with a calm consideration.

Foreign language effects from another angleIt is being studied. In experiments targeting 700 subjects, it turns out that when using foreign languages, it tends to make it difficult for people to make intuitive choices. Furthermore, I understood that "foreign language effects will appear when emotions become an important factor". In the case of problems that do not include emotional or emotional parts, foreign language effects are not demonstrated.

Returning to Mr. Mandela's story, apartheid's problem was "emotional problem" for Mr. Mandela and former President Deklac. So, which one was more calm, analytical and reasonable? Then, Mandela who was using "foreign language" at this time should be. There was no doubt that many other elements were included in the talks, but "foreign language effect" was working at Mr. Mandela at this time.