A new international study involving over 80,000 adults has found that knowing multiple languages can help slow down brain ageing. The research, published in Nature Aging, analysed people aged 51 to 90 from 27 European countries and discovered that those who spoke only one language were twice as likely to experience faster brain ageing.
According to the study, multilingual individuals were about half as likely to face accelerated ageing, and the benefits increased with the number of languages spoken. Researchers suggest that promoting multilingualism could play an important role in supporting healthy brain function and ageing.
Dr Etu Ma'u, a dementia researcher and lecturer at the University of Auckland, said the findings confirm that speaking more than one language keeps the brain active and stimulated, helping maintain cognitive health over time.
He explained that the brain naturally shrinks by about 5% every decade after age 40, but certain activities can strengthen “cognitive reserve”, the brain's ability to function despite ageing. He said mental stimulation, such as learning and using multiple languages, helps protect the brain from decline.
Dr Ma'u noted that speaking more than one language slows brain ageing, with each additional language further improving brain health.
Bilingual or multilingual individuals often have brains that appear years younger than their actual age, while monolinguals show higher brain ageing.
He emphasised that dementia results from cumulative damage over time, making early action essential. Encouraging language learning from childhood, he added, can keep the brain active and resilient throughout life, reinforcing that “it's never too early or too late to learn a new language.”
