A new study presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies congress in Barcelona suggests that speaking multiple languages may significantly slow brain aging.
Researchers found that the more languages people speak – and the earlier they learn them – the younger their brains appear to remain.
The study, conducted by scientists from Spain, Chile, Argentina and Ireland, examined brain activity in 728 people living in the Basque region of Spain, an area known for its high levels of multilingualism.
Using artificial intelligence to analyze brain patterns, researchers found that people who spoke two languages had brains that appeared, on average, six years younger than those of people who spoke only one language.
The difference increased among people who spoke more languages. Those who spoke three languages showed brains that appeared about seven years younger, while people who spoke four or more languages had brain structures that appeared approximately 13 years younger compared with their peers.
As people age, the connections between billions of nerve cells in the brain can weaken, contributing to memory decline and slower thinking. Researchers said the process of learning and using languages may help preserve these connections and strengthen cognitive resilience.
Lucia Amoruso, one of the researchers, said the findings were not limited to the number of languages a person speaks. She noted that proficiency in a language and the age at which someone begins learning a second language are also important factors linked to brain health.
The effects of multilingualism should not be reduced to simply whether someone is bilingual or not, Amoruso said. Instead, the depth and duration of a person’s language experience appear to play a key role in maintaining brain function.
Commenting on the findings, professor Christina Dalla, a neuroscientist at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, said language education should be encouraged both during childhood and throughout life. She described language learning as one of the most effective ways to keep the brain active at any age.
However, professor Eef Hogervorst, a biological psychology researcher at Loughborough University, urged caution in interpreting the results.
Hogervorst noted that people who speak multiple languages often engage in other brain-protective activities, such as regular reading, lifelong learning and playing musical instruments. These broader lifestyle factors may also contribute to the observed differences in brain aging.
