Study: Speaking Multiple Languages Associated With Slower Aging
The Spin
Narrative A
Speaking multiple languages provides robust protection against aging and extends a healthy lifespan by years. Learning another language can act like a mental workout, strengthening neural networks that typically weaken with age. This study shows bilingual or multilingual individuals across all age groups retain sharper thinking and consistently experience slower cognitive decline. The findings might motivate people to start learning a second language or to continue using the one they already know.
Narrative B
Learning foreign languages at an older age delivers negligible cognitive benefits despite popular claims. A 2020 rigorous randomized controlled study of 160 healthy seniors found that 11 weeks of Italian language training produced no meaningful improvements in verbal intelligence, spatial intelligence or working memory compared to relaxation training — suggesting that language learning may not significantly slow ageing. The supposed brain benefits are likely just statistical noise.