A recent study presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies conference in Barcelona reveals that multilingualism can significantly decelerate brain aging by up to 13 years.
According to The Guardian, individuals who speak more than one language tend to have structurally younger brains.
The benefits increase with the number of languages spoken and the earliness of acquisition.
The study found that bilingual individuals had brains appearing about six years younger than monolinguals.
Those speaking three languages showed brains seven years younger, while speaking four languages correlated with brains roughly 13 years younger.
Human brains consist of billions of communicating nerve cells, but aging typically degrades connectivity, reducing memory and cognitive speed.
Earlier European research noted slower aging in regions with high language proficiency, but this project directly evaluated neurological impact.
Experts from Spain, Chile, Argentina, and Dublin assessed residents of the Basque region, known for high multilingualism involving Spanish, Basque, French, and English.
Neurological age was evaluated using magnetoencephalography to record brain activity of 728 participants with diverse linguistic backgrounds.
Artificial intelligence determined normal brain connectivity benchmarks for various age groups, compared against a separate cohort of 144 individuals balanced across language proficiencies.
Dr. Lucia Amoruso from the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language noted that individuals speaking more languages had brains appearing younger than 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," she said.
The research team adjusted for age, biological sex, and education levels. However, other environmental influences like lifestyle and social interaction could also impact brain health.
Prof. Christina Dalla from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens agreed that acquiring additional languages helps maintain a youthful brain over time.
"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," she said.
Eef Hogervorst, a professor at Loughborough University, advised caution regarding direct causation, noting that multilingual individuals may also engage in healthier lifestyles and have better access to protective activities like reading and playing musical instruments.
