The idea that an additional language “is good for you” is not new, but this time science raises the bar and does so with a quantity of data that cannot be ignored. A group of researchers from the Global Brain Health Institute, at Trinity College Dublin, analyzed over 86,000 people aged 51 to 90, from 27 European countries, reaching a conclusion that could make us all go back to books (or even just to apps for learning languages).
Those who speak only one language are twice as likely to age faster. Those who talk about it at least twice, however, statistically have half the risk. And those who go further, perhaps three or four languages, slow down the pace of biological age even further. It’s not science fiction: it’s a study published in Nature Aging.
The great thing is that this effect remains visible even when other factors that affect aging are considered, such as physical health, social life or socioeconomic conditions. In short, it is not a question of “privileges”: the brain seems to respond to something that multilingualism sets in motion and that cannot be bought with money.
The brain loves to be challenged
Learning a language is an intense, almost tiring phase that forces the brain to create new connections. But the real surprise comes later, when that language becomes part of our daily lives. It is at that moment that the mind continues to be stimulated in a different, constant way, without us really realizing it.
Understanding a joke in another language, finding the right word when talking to someone abroad or simply switching from one language to another: all this “mental gymnastics” seems to have a protective effect against aging. Scholars even talk about a “dose effect”, as if each added language was an extra brick in the construction of cognitive resilience.
The most interesting fact is that all this does not require prohibitive investments. We’re not talking about exotic diets, futuristic technologies or miracle treatments. You can learn an additional language everywhere: at school, at home, online, at work or by living in a neighborhood where different cultures meet.
Then there is a social side that is not secondary. Being able to communicate with more people, enter different contexts and open up to new ways of thinking creates continuous movement in the mind. It’s a bit like doing emotional and cognitive stretching every day, and this type of mental flexibility seems to help stave off the effects of decline.
And speaking of clichés: in the United States, according to data from the “America the Bilingual Project”, the percentage of bilingual citizens exceeds that of French, Italians and English. In the USA they are 23%, compared to 25% of the European average and double that of Italy. Maybe we’re not as polyglot as we like to think.
The truth is that, at any age, there is no need to become an expert in phonetics or learn a hundred irregular verbs by heart. Just start, make mistakes, try again, use those new words even when they seem strange to us. It’s a small gesture that builds something, day after day, much more than we imagine.
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