Speaking More Than One Language May Slow Down Brain Aging Process
Learning languages has a lot of advantages and there are various researches which reveal the benefits of speaking more than a single language. There had been studies that show that children who speak more than one language may have an unexpected advantage later in life. There is also a study which shows that knowing and speaking many languages may slow down the aging process of the brain.
Dr. Gitit Kavé of Tel Aviv University and her colleagues have discovered that senior citizens who speak many languages test for better cognitive functioning and the results of her study are published in the journal of Psychology and Aging.
Kavé has however stated that the results of the research should be approached with cautions since there is no sure way to avoid mental aging. However, speaking a second or third language may help prolong the good years. A person who speaks more than one language is more likely to be clear-minded at an older age since he or she will be exercising his or her brain more often than monolingual persons. Using different languages may create new links in the brain, which may contribute to the strengthening effect.
The research was based on a survey conducted in 1989 on people who were aged between seventy-five and ninety-five. Each of the respondents of the survey was asked how many languages he or she knew, what his or her mother tongue was, and which language he or she spoke best. The researchers then compared the bilingual speakers to trilingual and multilingual speakers.
The results were analyzed and the researchers found that the more languages the person spoke, the better his or her cognitive state was. The level of education of a person was also strongly associated with his or her cognitive state but the number of languages contributed to the prediction of cognitive fitness further than the effect of education alone.
The relationship of education and number of languages would have been an easy pointer to acknowledge as contributors to strengthened cognitive functioning but that is not the case with the research. The researchers found out that more languages were most significantly correlated with cognitive state in those people who took the survey who had no education at all.
According to Kavé, a future question for research is whether languages reflect an initial potential for prolonged mental fitness or that learning and speaking more languages actually do something to the brain over time. She stated that learning a new language is a good thing even of it is not intended to ward off mental decline in old age. She believes that learning language are good for people at any age since they allow for a flexibility of thought and a channel for understanding another culture better as well as one’s own.
Future research should be done in other parts of the world regarding this topic so that results can be compared and to know if it holds true with other cultures. However, we should take into account that whatever our purposes of learning and speaking many languages may be, we can be assured that languages will do us something good in various aspects of our lives.
May 11th, 2009 at 1:15 am
This interesting research finding could be a very provocative subject, given the ever-growing elderly population. I have always felt that adult language learning should be encouraged no matter the age, although as a sometimes ESL/EFL teacher I have seen the difficulties in beginning the study of a second language for the first time in later years. Starting at a young age will always be more advantageous! I myself continue to learn new languages with ease, ostensibly because of all the hard work it took to master a second one many years ago. Each succeeding language becomes easier! Polyglots now have something to look forward to — slower mental aging.
May 11th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Hi David, thanks for your comment. I agree with you, I think that after you have mastered your first second language, new languages become easier to learn.
I think this is because you understand the structure that your native language and second language have, and you can apply this knowledge when learning a third or fourth language.
Learning languages is related with memorization and practice, and when you speak several languages your brain is stimulated as Kavé states “learning a language is good for people at any age since they allow for a flexibility of thought”.
May 11th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
I am still exploring the concept of ‘the ageing brain”. Perhaps it is evident from the way people carry themselves on a day to day basis: walk, talk, carrying things or mental alertness. To what extent does the brain can be kept ‘young’ through mental aerobics by learning many languages have yet to be proven. Does that mean people will live longer when their brain is given the boost with languages? It can be relative; my grandmother died at 100 or so (we didn’t exactly know because she did not have a birth certificate but I know she is old) and my husband’s grandmother died at 90. Both do not speak more than one language. But what I understand is they are kept busy listening and witnessing language exchanges around their home and immediate environment, which in turn kept them wanting to stay abreast with what’s going on with the younger generation in their families.
Having experienced this, I do know that my own mother is now 80 years and she learnt to speak languages through us….we are polyglots, so are her grandchildren.
It will be great to share this information with our friends: “Hey, watch out! I’m still as young as you last saw me.”
May 11th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
@Hanifa, I wish I can live as much as your grandmother
.
I just would like to say that “brain aerobics” and any mental excercise that a person does will keep the brain healthy increasing the chances of a better quality of life at an old age, reducing chances of senile dementia and related diseases.
It is not actually that you will live longer, your life will simply have a better quality.
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February 21st, 2011 at 6:22 pm
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We are very sorry to hear that. We are always trying to keep the quality of our post. Nevertheless we understand that some posts are more interesting than others. We have followers with different ages and interests and we must try to write on various topics to please all audiences. In any case, we appreciate your comments. All are welcome constructive criticism and we take them into account for future post.
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