BLOG ITEM: By Ruben Hernandez
Science is proving what we Latinos have known in our corazones: Being bicultural and bilingual can make you healthier and happier.
Paul Smokowski, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina, proves in a new study that youth who actively embrace their native Latino cultures can defuse alcoholism, substance abuse, and finish high school more often. He interviewed about 300 youth and their parents in Arizona and North Carolina.
“We found teens who maintain strong ties to their Latino cultures performer better academically and adjust more easily socially,” Smokowski said. “…for every 1-point increase in involvement in their Latino cultures, we saw a 13 percent rise in self-esteem and a 12 to 13 percent decrease in hopelessness, social problems and aggressive behavior.”
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