Bilingualism linked to younger-appearing brains, study finds

A new study presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies conference in Barcelona reports that individuals who speak two or more languages exhibit brain characteristics that appear up to six years younger than those of monolingual speakers. The research suggests that multilingualism may decelerate brain ageing by as much as 13 years, with the protective effect increasing the earlier in life a person begins learning additional languages.

The findings indicate a dose‑response relationship: the greater the number of languages spoken and the younger the age at which language acquisition starts, the more pronounced the apparent reduction in brain ageing. While the study’s methodology and sample size were not disclosed in the brief, the results add to a growing body of evidence linking cognitive reserve to lifelong linguistic engagement.