Learning Another Language May Slow Brain Aging, Huge New Study Finds

"Speaking multiple languages could slow down brain ageing and help to prevent cognitive decline, a study of more than 80,000 people has found. The work, published in Nature Aging on 10 November, suggests that people who are multilingual are half as likely to show signs of accelerated biological ageing as are those who speak just one language."

"Previous research in this area has suggested that speaking multiple languages can improve cognitive functions such memory and attention, which boosts brain health as we get older. But many of these studies rely on small sample sizes and use unreliable methods of measuring ageing, which leads to results that are inconsistent and not generalizable. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing."

"The effects of multilingualism on ageing have always been controversial, but I don't think there has been a study of this scale before, which seems to demonstrate them quite decisively, says Christos Pliatsikas, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Reading, UK. The paper's results could bring a step change to the field, he adds. They might also encourage people to go out and try to learn a second language, or keep that second language active, says Susan Teubner-Rhodes, a cognitive psychologist at Auburn University in Alabama."

Computational analysis of 86,000 healthy participants aged 51 to 90 across 27 European countries determined that multilingual people had roughly half the likelihood of accelerated biological ageing compared with monolinguals. Multilingualism associates with improved cognitive functions such as memory and attention, which supports brain health during later life. Many earlier investigations used small samples and unreliable ageing measures, producing inconsistent findings. The observed association could motivate adults to learn or maintain additional languages and positions multilingual engagement as a potential protective factor for cognitive ageing and population brain health strategies.

Read at www.nature.com