NTU, Nanyang Business School
Georgios Christopoulos, (Ph.D. in Decision Neuroscience, Cambridge), is Associate Professor and Provost’s Chair in Organizational Neuroscience at Nanyang Business School, NTU. Georgios enjoys interdisciplinary collaborations, as complex problems require input from different disciplines. He holds expertise in a wide range of psycho-physiological methods, including computerized testing, computational modelling, brain neuroimaging, psychophysiology, and new methods such as wearable devices and virtual reality. His research examines (i) factors affecting social decision-making (trust, cooperation), (ii) how people experience cognitive fatigue, and (iii) the impact of architecture and the built environment (indoor and outdoor) on performance and well-being. He is the director of Culture Science Innovations and chairs the Education Division of Organizational Neuroscience at the Academy of Management.
The role of multilingual experiences in social interactions: Cooperativeness and perceived social support
Theoretical and empirical evidence highlights a strong interrelationship between language and social behavior. Social interactions require the use of language, and using language skillfully can enhance social interactions and potentially also social life. However, the association between levels of multilingualism (use and exposure) and social factors is less examined. In multilingual environments like Singapore, we first hypothesize that individuals with cooperative preferences— i.e. those who prefer working with others—will be willing to accommodate their interlocutors and chose their language where it is felt appropriate. We find that indeed individuals with higher levels of cooperative preferences also report higher levels of exposure to English (Singapore’s default lingua franca) than Singlish (the Singaporean variety of English) when interacting with strangers. On the contrary, when interacting with family members, cooperative tendencies do not impact the language chosen.
Given that language is a primary means of forming communities, we further explore whether multilingualism is associated with perceived social support — a central aspect of social life defined as the extent to which individuals believe they can access help when needed. Our findings suggest that increased levels of multilingualism are associated with higher levels of perceived social support. Crucially, this relationship is mediated by ‘tolerance to uncertainty’ —a socio-cognitive capacity to accept diverse perspectives and feel comfortable in ambiguous conditions. Multilingualism enhances tolerance to uncertainty, which in turn boosts perceived social support.
These results not only emphasize the significance of supporting multilingualism in fostering better social life but also suggest that environments promoting tolerance of diverse views and ambiguity can amplify these positive outcomes. Practical implications will be discussed.