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Multilingualism — the regular use of more than one language — is associated with a reduced risk of accelerated ageing, according to data from more than 86,000 people across 27 European countries published in Nature Aging. The findings suggest that promoting multilingualism could support healthy ageing strategies at a population level.
Ageing is a major global health challenge, linked to cognitive decline and functional impairments. Identifying protective factors is therefore an important priority. Previous research has proposed that multilingualism can help to maintain cognitive function, but evidence has been inconsistent owing to the use of small sample sizes, clinical cohorts and indirect measures of ageing.
Agustin Ibañez and colleagues analysed survey data from 86,149 participants aged 51–90 years across 27 European countries to estimate whether ageing was faster or slower than expected based on health and lifestyle factors. They found that people who use only one language were approximately twice as likely to experience accelerated ageing, whereas multilingual individuals were on average about half as likely to do so. The authors also observed that speaking additional languages promoted delayed ageing over time and found a dose-dependent effect of speaking multiple languages. They note that the protective effect of multilingualism remained significant even when they adjusted for age and linguistic, physical, social and sociopolitical exposures.
These findings could inform educational and public health policies aimed at promoting cognitive resilience and functional ability in ageing populations, the authors suggest.
Expert Reaction
These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.
Dr Etu Ma'u, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland - Waipapa Taumata Rau; Consultant psychiatrist, Mental Health Services for Older People, Te Whatu Ora Waikato
"How rapidly our brain ages is affected by the cumulative and incremental damage it sustains over a lifetime, and cognitive reserve – the brain’s ability to cope with, or compensate for, any damage that is incurred.
"While many brain health recommendations focus on reducing brain damage by improving lifestyle behaviours, this recently published study by Amoruso and colleagues demonstrates that the ability to speak more than one language improves cognitive reserve by slowing brain ageing, and the benefits increase with the number of languages spoken.
"In this context, proposed changes to the teaching of te reo Māori in schools will reduce opportunities for multilingualism. This could have unintended effects on brain health and ageing, increasing the risk of developing diseases such as dementia in older age."
Professor Stephen May, Te Puna Wānanga | School of Māori and Indigenous Education, Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland
"While we can’t determine exact figures, we know that 50-75% of the world’s population speak more than one language. In other words, bilingualism and multilingualism are the norm internationally. And yet, most of those who speak English as a first language – again, up to 75% - are monolingual, they only speak English. So, these results on the positive cognitive and health effects of bilingualism and multilingualism in any combination of languages as we age may come as a surprise to them.
"Indeed, what is most striking about the views of monolingual English speakers – both in Aotearoa New Zealand and elsewhere – is their often-entrenched negative views of bi/multilingualism and other language speakers. We see this most clearly in the overtly anti te reo Māori attitudes still prevalent in our society (and in current government policies) today. What is also striking about these lingering attitudes, apart from the fact that they are often highly racialised, is how spectacularly misinformed they are.
"In addition to the important enduring cognitive benefits in relation to ageing highlighted here, educational research over the last 80 years has also consistently highlighted the overall cognitive, social, and educational benefits of being bi/multilingual.
"So, the obvious question must be asked: when will monolingual English speakers finally realise that it is their inability and/or unwillingness to value, learn, and use other languages that is the real problem here..."
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