Scientists presenting new research at a neuroscience conference in Barcelona report that learning and using more than one language may be linked to slower brain ageing. The findings compare people who speak two or more languages with those who speak only one and suggest that, on average, bilingual speakers show brain characteristics associated with younger ageing. One report says bilingual participants’ brains appear around six years younger than those of monolingual participants, while another estimate suggests the potential effect could be larger—up to 13 years—in certain cases.
The researchers also describe a pattern in which the more languages a person speaks and the earlier they begin learning and using them, the stronger the association with “younger” brain ageing. The studies discussed focus on how brains look or function in ways researchers interpret as age-related, rather than claiming that language learning definitively prevents cognitive decline.
The reports are based on the study being presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies conference, with details varying by outlet, and readers are directed to the underlying research for methodology and limitations.
