A new large-scale study has shown that people who speak two or more are at a lower risk of aging rapidly. The more languages we know, the better our defense against the ravaging effects of time.
How did scientists find this out?
An international team of researchers examined data from 86,149 individuals aged 51 to 90 across 27 European countries. They discovered that people who speak only one language are nearly twice as likely to experience accelerated aging, while polyglots face this issue half as often.
But why does knowing multiple languages help people feel and act younger? The team believes it relates to the robust support that polyglots provide for their own neurological flexibility. By knowing languages, individuals slow down both cognitive and physical degradation.
Like other well-known lifestyle factors that promote health in (such as social connections and regular physical activity), being multilingual is an effective way to keep the brain sharp and maintain vitality for many years.
The team noted that individuals from cultures historically or geographically inclined to learn multiple languages tend to eat healthier and lead more active social lives in their later years. In contrast, their monolingual peers are less socially active, as reported by IFLScience.
Researchers also found that the protective effect of language proficiency remained significant even when considering factors such as age, physical health, environment, and socio-political conditions.
The English-speaking world of monolinguals
So, the team brought good news for much of the world, as between 50 to 70 percent of the global population speaks more than one language. Meanwhile, the study’s findings likely leave the English-speaking world on the sidelines, where most people communicate in just one language.
However, countries with predominantly English-speaking populations, including the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, like the rest of the world, are facing a demographic time bomb of slow motion. This refers to the rapid aging of the global population. Therefore, for residents of these countries, learning other languages is now more important than ever.
By the way, this is not the first study linking multilingualism to improved cognitive health in older age.
“Bilingualism and multilingualism are the norm internationally. However, most native English speakers are monolingual: they speak only English. Therefore, these results regarding the positive cognitive and health effects of bilingualism and multilingualism as we age may come as a surprise to them,” commented linguistics professor Stephen May from the School of Indigenous Education at Auckland University (USA) on his colleagues’ new work.
The findings from the study were published in the journal Nature Aging.
Photo: Unsplash
