All programming languages are not created equal. Some clearly excel at solving different problems. There are languages that are great for scalability and others that are great for proving correctness. But what about one that that will make you smarter? To look for this answer, I am going to turn to a different language, our human language, and research from the field of linguistics and cognitive development.
A new language is born Up until the late 1970s, there was no school for the deaf In Nicaragua. Being deaf before then meant only developing crude signs with your family and friends. Beyond that there was nothing. Finally, the wife of the dictator set up a special school for them. This was the first time that the children were brought together in one place rather than being scattered about. For most of them, it was the first time that they had ever met another deaf person. There were about fifty kids in that first class and they came together with fifty different ways of communication with crude gestures. But after awhile, something amazing happened. They started to converge into a common system - a language was born. For scientists, this was an incredible opportunity to watch a new language develop. One of the fascinating insights had to do with how the this sign language evolved over the generations of children entering the school. One in particular, was a study about how words in a language can actually increase your cognitive capacity and make people smarter.
...