Relationship between Multilingualism and Openness of the Big Five Factor Model

Abstract

The benefit of multilingualism is one of the key topics of research today. Researchers have predominantly found that bilingual individuals have cognitive advantages, yet there is still a lack of research and knowledge on the socioemotional advantages of multilingualism. Therefore, this study aims to produce further evidence that supports the socioemotional advantages of being multilingual. This paper explores the relationship between multilingualism and open-mindedness by collecting data on multilingual international students' language acquisition and open-mindedness through an online questionnaire. A positive correlation exists between multilingualism and open-mindedness in up to three languages with no significant correlation seen for more than three languages. The results indicate that bilinguals and trilinguals are relatively more open-minded. Yet, at the same time, learning more languages doesn't necessarily make one more open or diverse. It is suggested that children acquire one to two foreign languages to foster their openness.