Learning Another Language Appears to Slow Brain Ageing, Scientists Say

THE GUARDIAN: Study finds those who speak two languages have brains that appear around six years younger than those who speak one

This screenshot is from this Guardian article. | Experts also say the earlier people begin learning a second language, the better for their brain age. Photograph: StayHomeTakePhotos/Alamy
Learning another language could slow ageing in the brain by up to 13 years, according to research.

People who speak more than one language seem to have younger brains and the more languages you speak and the earlier you speak them, the better, according to findings from a study being presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies conference in Barcelona.

The study found that those who spoke two languages had brains that appeared around six years younger than those who spoke only one language. People who spoke three languages had brains that appeared around seven years younger, and for those who spoke four languages, their brains appeared about 13 years younger.

Our brains are made up of billions of nerve cells that communicate with one another. But as we get older, the connectivity in our brains often deteriorates, causing memory and speed of thought to decline. » | Anna Bawden | Health and social affairs correspondent | Monday, July 6, 2026

Brit in Germany: Why I Struggled to Learn German. And Why Most Brits Never Will (#3)

Mar 9, 2026

This is a very interesting video on learning German. Listening to Benjamin speaking about his experiences takes me back many years to when I learnt my German in Switzerland.

I concur with most of Benjamin’s analysis, but I would like to point out that he is speaking from the point of view of an Englishman. As a Welshman, I should like to add something important. And it is this: Children brought up in Wales differ from their English compatriots in that, from the start, children are ‘confronted’ with two languages: English and Welsh. Further, although most people in Wales have English as their mother tongue — although this can vary according to the area — even monolingual English speakers still have to deal with Welsh place names and so on and so forth. Even monolingual English speakers in Wales must deal with at least some Welsh, as they have to be able to pronounce the names of places and many Welsh street names. So, because of this, they do have a slight advantage over their monolingual, English counterparts, people for whom anything other than English is both generally undesirable and/or unlearnable! 😊 If an Englishman is abroad and cannot be understood, it is said that he just talks a bit louder in the hope that his interlocutor will ‘get it’. 😊

This is why I would encourage my fellow countrymen and countrywomen never to give up on learning European languages. Being able to speak, read, write, and understand a foreign language is enriching beyond belief and/or description. It also makes it possible to understand what is going on in the world from a totally different perspective. – © Mark Alexander