Learning another language may slow brain ageing by up to 13 years

Study findings on language effects on brain health

Scientists have found that speaking multiple languages could slow brain ageing by up to 13 years. The study, to be presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies conference in Barcelona, indicates that people who speak more than one language have younger-looking brains.

Researchers found that bilingual individuals had brains that appeared about six years younger than those speaking only one language. Those speaking three languages had brains roughly seven years younger, and quadrilingual individuals showed brains about 13 years younger than their chronological age.

The brain consists of billions of nerve cells that communicate. As we age, connectivity often deteriorates, leading to declines in memory and processing speed. Previous research had noted that people from European countries with higher language proficiency tend to age slower, but this study measured the impact on individual brains.

Methodology and results

Scientists from Spain, Chile, Argentina and Ireland compared residents of the Basque region, which has high levels of multilingualism, who speak Spanish, Basque, French and/or English. To measure neurological age, they used magnetoencephalography to measure brain activity in 728 people of varying ages and language abilities. AI was then employed to process the results and calculate normal brain connectivity at each age. A separate group of 144 people with equal numbers speaking one, two, three or four languages was scanned and compared.

Expert commentary

Dr Lucia Amoruso from the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language in San Sebastián said: "In simple terms, 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. This suggests that multilingual experience matters as a gradient: it is not simply about being bilingual or not, but about the depth and duration of language experience."

The researchers accounted for factors such as age, sex and education but cautioned that other influences like lifestyle and social engagement could not be ruled out.

Prof Christina Dalla, a neuroscientist from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, welcomed the findings: "This study suggests that learning a second, third or fourth language could help our brains to stay younger for longer, and the earlier we start, the better. There are many good reasons for learning another language at any age – social, cultural and for the health of your brain – so we should support language-learning at school and throughout life, even if it’s hard."

However, Prof Eef Hogervorst from Loughborough University urged caution. While the evidence does suggest multilingualism is associated with better brain resilience, she noted: "It may be the case that people who speak multiple languages also engage in healthier lifestyles and/or have better access to other protective environments and activities, such as reading, lifelong learning and playing musical instruments."