Could bilingualism contribute to <i>affective</i> reserve in Alzheimer's?

Using a second language requires the capacity to inhibit the first (Green 1998), a process that resembles repression, which involves the inhibition of unconscious representations. Emerging research supports this idea, suggesting that second language use may aid in emotional regulation (Ware & Rigaud, 2022) and facilitate therapeutic processes such as transference (Byford, 2015). These findings highlight the potential for bilingualism to serve not only as a cognitive asset but also as a psychological resource, opening new pathways for understanding the psychical benefits of multilingual experience, and contribute to the understanding of bilingual reserve in the context of Alzheimer's disease.