Multilingualism Linked to Slower Brain Aging, Study Finds

A new international study shows that speaking additional languages can significantly slow the brain's ageing process. Researchers measured brain activity with magnetoencephalography in 728 participants from the Basque region, then validated the findings with another 144 volunteers. Using artificial‑intelligence analysis, they estimated a “brain‑age” metric and found that bilingual individuals had brains appearing about six years younger than monolinguals, trilingual speakers about seven years younger, and quadrilingual speakers up to 13 years younger than their chronological age.

The work involved scientists from Spain, Chile, Argentina and Ireland and highlighted that not only the number of languages but also the depth of proficiency and early acquisition amplify the effect. The authors suggest that fostering language learning in schools and throughout life could be a valuable strategy for maintaining cognitive health.