Learning another language could slow brain ageing by up to 13 years, according to new research presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies conference in Barcelona. The study found that people who speak two languages have brains that appear around six years younger than those who speak only one. Those who speak three languages have brains that appear about seven years younger, while speaking four languages is associated with brains that appear roughly 13 years younger.
Scientists from Spain, Chile, Argentina and Dublin used magnetoencephalography to measure brain activity in 728 people of varying ages and linguistic abilities, then used AI to calculate normal brain connectivity for each age. A second group of 144 people, equally split among speakers of one, two, three or four languages, were scanned and compared.
Dr Lucia Amoruso from the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language said: 'People who spoke more languages tended to have brains that looked younger than expected for their chronological age. The effect was not only related to the number of languages spoken. Higher language proficiency and earlier acquisition of a second language were also associated with more delayed brain ageing.'
The researchers accounted for age, sex and education but cautioned that lifestyle and social engagement could also influence the results. Professor Christina Dalla from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens said the study suggests learning languages could help keep brains younger for longer, supporting language learning at school and throughout life. However, Professor Eef Hogervorst from Loughborough University urged caution, noting that multilingual people may also engage in healthier lifestyles and activities like reading or playing musical instruments.
