Get Happy: Learn a New Language

Besides having the world in your hands, there are many reasons to learn another language. As an English-speaker, you are lucky enough to know a widely-spoken language, but unlike many believe in the United States, English is not the world's most-spoken language. Actually, the list goes: Mandarin, Spanish, and then English. Surprised? Don't be.

955 million people (roughly) speak Mandarin, while only 359 million speak English (Wikipedia.com). When you consider how many other people in the world might not be able to understand you, you might start to see the importance of learning another language. But even knowing the sheer volume of non-English speakers might not sway you into pursuing a second language.

So why do it? Why take the time to learn a new language if you might never travel to another country? What if you never use it? Well, despite what you may think about learning a new language, it is not that difficult. You might spend a few hours in a day just watching a television show, blankly staring at your Facebook feed, or just playing internet games. What if you took that down time and converted it into useful study time?

The next time someone asks you what you did the day before, you can say, "Oh, nothing, just learning Spanish." You will have something to talk about, and you'll feel good about yourself for taking initiative and being proactive. No longer will you be a couch potato. There is nothing wrong with making yourself happier.

Have you ever been a part of a conversation in which a question was proposed that no one could answer except you? It might have been the definition to the word "plethora" or how many noses a slug has, or something even more trivial, but it felt good to be the person that could provide the answer, right? It's the satisfaction in knowing something that others don't. The ability to speak a second language falls right in here. You could be able to walk the streets of Germany and know how to ask for the supermarket or the location of a restroom in a bar.

You would be able to understand local customs and not insult someone by using the informal pronoun on accident. There would be no wasted money on translators. And even if you never go to Germany, well, everyone's got a German grandmother that doesn't exactly understand English, right?

Okay, so you might not use the language, but you'd spend enough time learning a new language that you might consider traveling to that country or even becoming a translator yourself! Learning a popular language like Spanish can get you further in your company. Not everyone speaks a second language, and your skills would be an asset.

Gaining a raise or getting a better job is definitely on the list of mood improvements.

There are many places on-line that give you free access to language-learning software, quizzes, vocabulary, and more. Rosetta Stone is a popular language-learning software, as it uses photos, speaking exercises, and word association to help you immerse yourself in the new language, but this software costs money. Instead of paying for a new skill, go immediately to this website and sign up right now.

Duolingo is free to sign up, and if you are already familiar with a language in some manner, you are able to test out of lessons and move quickly through the easy parts. The website is incentive-based, as well. You earn coins, and you can share your progress with friends side-by-side.

Currently, you can learn:

• Spanish
• German
• French
• Italian
• Portuguese

There are only a few languages available currently, but they may soon add more. If you're not busy, why not try it? You aren't going to lose anything by starting a new language, and you can fill up that time where before you were bored to death. Now, you can be proactive! Learning a new language is never a bad idea. If nothing else, you can actually improve your first language by understanding the structure and function of new words in another language.

In addition, there are discussion pages that let you ask questions if you don't understand your current topic. Plenty of others are in the same spot as you, so someone will have the answer to your verb conjugation question.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that your journey toward a new language isn't useful. There is always a reason to learn a new language, even if it's just to make yourself happier. Learning something new is cause for celebration. Education should continue after high school and college. There is always room for improvement.