Knowing multiple languages ​​may slow cognitive aging

According to new research on more than 80,000 people in Europe, people who speak multiple languages ​​have half the risk of rapid brain aging compared to people who only speak one language.

People who speak multiple languages ​​are less likely to have rapidly aging brains. (Source: Getty Images)

Research published in the journal Nature Aging on November 10 shows that the ability to use multiple languages ​​can slow down the biological aging of the brain, thereby helping to protect memory and concentration in old age.

Study co-author Agustín Ibañez, a neuroscientist at Adolfo Ibáñez University in Chile, said the team wanted to address “one of the long-standing questions in aging research: whether multilingualism actually helps delay this process.”

Many previous studies have suggested that speaking multiple languages ​​improves memory and attention, but they have often been based on small samples or unreliable measurement methods, he said.

Cognitive neuroscientist Christos Pliatsikas (University of Reading, UK) commented: “The effect of speaking multiple languages ​​on aging has been controversial, but there has never been a study as large and convincing as this one.” He said that this result could “mark a turning point for the research field.”

Ms. Susan Teubner-Rhodes, a cognitive psychologist at Auburn University (USA), commented that this discovery could encourage many people to "proactively learn or maintain the use of their second language".

The study looked at 86,000 healthy people aged 51-90 in 27 European countries. The team used a computational approach to determine the “biological-behavioral age gap,” which is the difference between a person’s predicted biological age – based on health, lifestyle, and education – and their actual age. A larger gap indicates a faster aging process.

When compared with the number of languages ​​each person self-reported speaking, the team found that people who spoke only one language were twice as likely to “age faster” than those who spoke two or more languages.

The effect increases with the number of languages ​​spoken. “Just knowing one additional language reduces the risk of accelerated aging, and speaking two or three has an even stronger effect,” says Ibañez.

Ms Teubner-Rhodes said the large sample size and geographical diversity helped support the conclusion that it was multilingualism, not other factors such as immigration status or income level, that protected the brain. She also suggested expanding the study to regions outside Europe to get a more complete picture.

The authors hope the results will prompt policymakers to encourage foreign language learning in education systems as an investment in long-term brain health.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/biet-nhieu-ngon-ngu-co-the-lam-cham-qua-trinh-lao-hoa-nhan-thuc-333962.html