Is being bilingual good for your brain?

This discussion on Hacker News touches upon several key themes, primarily revolving around online privacy, user experience with intrusive consent banners, and the cognitive benefits of various activities.

Online Privacy and User Experience with Consent Banners

A significant portion of the conversation is driven by user frustration with intrusive privacy consent pop-ups, particularly those that engage in what some perceive as disingenuous language.

• Users express skepticism and annoyance towards companies that claim to "value your privacy" while simultaneously presenting complex, multi-stage consent mechanisms that involve numerous third-party partners.
• One user sarcastically highlights this by quoting, ">We value your privacy >... Together with our 173 trusted partners...". This is framed within the context of a full-screen, multi-stage permissions pop-up. The user directly states, "Yeah how about no." and suggests a more honest company statement would be, "maybe "we will sell anything we can to anyone we can because we need the money"".
• Despite the criticism of the overall approach, one user does acknowledge a positive aspect of a particular pop-up: "It is a very detailed pop-up tho, in a good way - breaks down each toggle with individual companies, and there's a search across all of them".
• The efficacy of ad-blockers and privacy-focused browser extensions is also discussed as a workaround for these intrusive elements. A specific recommendation is given: "Firefox + uBlock Origin + EasyList Cookie List". The user adds, "...until Firefox learns to dismiss cookie banners on its own (they're working on it)."
• The role of regulators and the design choices of engineers are debated as contributing factors to this privacy management system. One user points out, "Indeed. Blame the regulators that required this, and/or the engineers that have developed a system that gives away your data."
• There's a pragmatic observation about the meaning of "valuing privacy," with one user remarking, "They don’t lie! When they say “We value your privacy” they mean that your privacy is valuable to them. Of course, they need to convert that value into money."

Cognitive Stimulation and Brain Health

Another prominent theme is the discussion about activities that stimulate the brain and contribute to mental sharpness as people age. This section explores personal experiences and theories on maintaining cognitive function.

• The initial trigger for this discussion seems to be a comment about hyperpolyglots and their potential susceptibility to mental illness, leading to a broader conversation about brain stimulation.
• The idea that learning a second language can be beneficial is explored, with personal anecdotes about the process and its effects. One user shares an experience with learning Japanese: "Anyway, my point is that I think "learning a language" is probably as good as anything else when it comes to "brain stimulation", but in my opinion, the real value comes from being completely immersed in a new culture and kicked forcefully out of any sense of routine."
• The concept of "mastery" versus ongoing learning is brought up in relation to cognitive benefits. A user who plays an instrument reflects, "Would any effect be limited once you achieve mastery (or close to it)? After 25 years playing my instrument when I play it my brain just switches off. No thinking at all." This leads to the idea that the "strain" of learning new things might be key.
• The importance of maintaining a consistent practice or engagement with an activity is emphasized. One user states, "Your mind, body, and any skill will deteriorate over time if not regularly trained, so it must become a part of your life."
• The effectiveness of specific activities like playing musical instruments, solving puzzles, and physical activity is debated. One user expresses a more skeptical view: "I am quite familiar with various languages, have learned an instrument, and engage in regular physical activity and I am probably the stupidest person on Earth. I don't think any of those things are universally beneficial to people's mental capacity."
• A compelling anecdote is shared about a father who, in his 70s, began doing Sudoku daily and experienced significant improvements in memory and sharpness. The user notes, "He’s now in his mid 80s and as sharp as ever. [...] But the effectiveness of it, taken seriously, is absolutely incredible."
• The theory that engaging in new mental tasks creating "new thought patterns" is presented as a way to stay sharp. The feeling of "strain, exhausting but intriguing" associated with learning is identified as a potential indicator of cognitive benefit.
• The benefits of language learning for switching cognitive gears and managing multiple linguistic inputs are highlighted by a user: "it's surprisingly good at making my brain switch gears faster .like i'm on a call in English and my mom yells from the kitchen in Tamil and i just reply back without even thinking."
• A nuanced view on age and language acquisition is discussed, with a user referencing studies suggesting that the effects of languages on the brain might be stronger for young children and the old than for young adults.

The Nature of "User Agent" and Technical Terminology

A brief but notable side-thread emerged concerning the use of the term "user agent" and the implications of technical jargon.

• The discussion began with a comment suggesting that if a user agent is providing unwanted information, one should "find a better user agent."
• This advice was met with criticism for being vague and dismissive. Someone retorted, "Your comment would be much more persuasive if you provide a concrete actionable suggestion instead of vague handwringing about “finding a better user agent” (and don’t get me started on how “user agent” is basically just an ingroup signal these days)".
• The counter-argument for the correctness of the term "user agent" was made: "“User agent” is a technical term. what ingroup does it signal that you’re part of, by using the term correctly?"
• The original commenter clarified their stance with a touch of sarcasm: "The most despicable group of the modern era: folks who expect their own software to act on their own behalf."
• Another user commented on the unconstructive nature of this exchange, observing, "Thank you for the snark. I am sure this will work wonders to persuade more people to take their privacy seriously."
• A final user chimed in on the linguistics of the situation, stating, "english usage aside: you could accuse him of handwaving, but he's not complaining, so his comment is not "handwringing". you are complaining (about his comment) so your comment is closer to handwringing."