Date created: | Last Updated:

Category: Project

Description: Bilingual speakers have been consistently observed to experience reduced emotional sensitivity to their non-native (L2) relative to native (L1) language, particularly to the negatively-valenced L2 content, as indexed by decreased physiological responses. Yet, little is known about how the L1 and L2 contexts physiologically influence bilinguals’ affective states, such as moods. Here, we show that bilinguals may be less physiologically sensitive to mood changes in the L2 compared to L1 context. Polish–English bilinguals operating in either the L1 or L2 mode, elicited via reading L1 and L2 sentences, watched positive and negative mood-inducing films while their electrodermal activity (EDA) was measured. We observed increased EDA patterns in a negative compared to positive mood in the L1 context only, indexing bilinguals’ decreased physiological reactivity in the L2 relative to L1 mode. Also, EDA was overall increased in the L2 compared to L1 context, pointing to increased cognitive load when operating in L2. These findings together suggest that even though L2 processing requires greater cognitive engagement, bilinguals may better regulate their emotional reactivity in the L2 than L1 mode.