Learning a second language can have a positive effect on the brain, even if it is taken up in adulthood, a University of Edinburgh study suggests.
Researchers found that reading, verbal fluency and intelligence were improved in a study of 262 people tested either aged 11 or in their seventies.
A previous study suggested that being bilingual could delay the onset of dementia by several years.
The study is published in Annals of Neurology.
The big question in this study was whether learning a new language improved cognitive functions or whether individuals with better cognitive abilities were more likely to become bilingual.
Dr Thomas Bak, from the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said he believed he had found the answer.
Using data from intelligence tests on 262 Edinburgh-born individuals at the age of 11, the study looked at how their cognitive abilities had changed when they were tested again in their seventies.
The research was conducted between 2008 and 2010.
All participants said they were able to communicate in at least one language other than English.
Of that group, 195 learned the second language before the age of 18, and 65 learned it after that time.
Strong effects
The findings indicate that those who spoke two or more languages had significantly better cognitive abilities compared to what would have been expected from their baseline test.
The strongest effects were seen in general intelligence and reading.
The effects were present in those who learned their second language early, as well as later in life. More.
See: BBC
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Comments about this article
Norway
Local time: 20:27
Member (2002)
English to Norwegian
+ ...
...but at least it keeps your brain fit...
Portugal
Local time: 19:27
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
what will happen if you decide to learn a third or a fourth language in your adult years...
Japan
Local time: 03:27
Japanese to English
+ ...
So do crossword puzzles, chess, sudoku etc...
As long as you aren't sitting vegged out in front of a television all day you should be fine.
Germany
Local time: 20:27
German to English
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I recently started a Tai Chi course. Many studies have found that it is very beneficial to good physical and mental health. So between that and languages - if the theory is generally true otherwise - I should live to be 100 with a sharp, functioning brain!!
One of many articles based on studies that have researched the benefits of Tai Chi:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/29/tai-chi-health-benefits_n_5410470.html
Edited to add a further, very informative link about Tai Chi and health for anyone who might find it of interest:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Womens_Health_Watch/2009/May/The-health-benefits-of-tai-chi
[Edited at 2014-06-04 11:25 GMT] ▲ Collapse
Spain
Local time: 19:27
Member (2007)
English
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I'm hoping my struggles with my new language here in the Canary Islands will keep my mind healthy; if not, then maybe I'll have to move even further south to the Portuguese-speaking islands of Cape Verde. ▲ Collapse
Germany
Local time: 20:27
French to German
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There are professors, writers and actors (who obviously have to memorize a lot) that get dementia. Neither intellectual stimulation nor lots of contact to other people could prevent them from contracting the disease.
On the other hand, there are a lot of unilingual, not so intellectual people who are alone all day watching TV and don't get dementia.
I have read about findings t... See more
There are professors, writers and actors (who obviously have to memorize a lot) that get dementia. Neither intellectual stimulation nor lots of contact to other people could prevent them from contracting the disease.
On the other hand, there are a lot of unilingual, not so intellectual people who are alone all day watching TV and don't get dementia.
I have read about findings that link one of the most common forms of dementia, Alzheimer's, to insuline. They say it's like diabetes, but a form of diabetes that affects the brain. It remains to be seen whether this holds water or not. ▲ Collapse
Brazil
Local time: 15:27
English to Portuguese
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It makes me wonder what will happen if you decide to learn a third or a fourth language in your adult years...
One of them is motivation. One thing is learning a foreign language for a "dream trip" to a foreign country; another is doing it because a person will have to live there for a specific period of time (e.g. a 2-year work contract); and a third one is when someone is moving to possibly spend the rest of their life there. Of course, there are other incidental motivators, like getting married to a foreigner, living in a mostly foreign neighborhood, working with tourists/expats for many years, etc.
Another one is talent. Some people will quickly learn a language after being immersed in its environment, while others may live there for decades and never master the local language properly.
A third one is 'hooks'. When someone learns a language having a common source (e.g. Latin, Anglo-Saxon, etc.) it is easier to adapt the phrasal structure from one to another. On the other hand, it is likely that they'll be stuck with a foreign accent forever.
Age is certainly a factor, though it may be offset to an uncertain extent by the factors above, and possibly a few others.
My take on age is that at a certain point in life (for me it was when I turned 60) one realizes that they suddenly have more memories than plans. By no means they have less plans than before, however the volume of memories becomes comparatively overwhelming.
After this age, I think there will be so many hooks available, that it will take a longer search to conclude that none applies, when it's the case. This should slow down the new language learning process significantly.
I'd have an enormous quantity of examples to illustrate all I said above, from the aforementioned memories, so I'd rather keep this short, by omitting them here.
Japan
Local time: 03:27
Japanese to English
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Keeping your brain active supposedly gives you the best chance of delaying or preventing dementia-related illnesses. It does not guarantee that they will not come.
This is why people who were seemingly active thinkers still succumb to these types of illnesses. Contracting ... See more
Keeping your brain active supposedly gives you the best chance of delaying or preventing dementia-related illnesses. It does not guarantee that they will not come.
This is why people who were seemingly active thinkers still succumb to these types of illnesses. Contracting the illness was inevitable, but maybe their high level of mental activity actually gave them a few extra years of lucidity (this is perhaps unprovable, though, since each of us can only go through life once). ▲ Collapse
Portugal
Local time: 19:27
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
It makes me wonder what will happen if you decide to learn a third or a fourth language in your adult years...
One of them is motivation. One thing is learning a foreign language for a "dream trip" to a foreign country; another is doing it because a person will have to live there for a specific period of time (e.g. a 2-year work contract); and a third one is when someone is moving to possibly spend the rest of their life there. Of course, there are other incidental motivators, like getting married to a foreigner, living in a mostly foreign neighborhood, working with tourists/expats for many years, etc.
Another one is talent. Some people will quickly learn a language after being immersed in its environment, while others may live there for decades and never master the local language properly.
A third one is 'hooks'. When someone learns a language having a common source (e.g. Latin, Anglo-Saxon, etc.) it is easier to adapt the phrasal structure from one to another. On the other hand, it is likely that they'll be stuck with a foreign accent forever.
Age is certainly a factor, though it may be offset to an uncertain extent by the factors above, and possibly a few others.
My take on age is that at a certain point in life (for me it was when I turned 60) one realizes that they suddenly have more memories than plans. By no means they have less plans than before, however the volume of memories becomes comparatively overwhelming.
After this age, I think there will be so many hooks available, that it will take a longer search to conclude that none applies, when it's the case. This should slow down the new language learning process significantly.
I'd have an enormous quantity of examples to illustrate all I said above, from the aforementioned memories, so I'd rather keep this short, by omitting them here.
... because I started learning my fourth language (Italian) in my 60s!
Mexico
Local time: 12:27
English to Spanish
+ ...
I'm not surprised, though. Keeping a sharp mind and a balanced life is the best medicine, and perhaps add a couple of pets to the equation. However, I have no experience with the condition. My family is mostly monolingual, but heart conditions took them before dementia could settle in.
Even so, I've seen the benefits of education in senior citizens. My own grandmother got her middle school... See more
I'm not surprised, though. Keeping a sharp mind and a balanced life is the best medicine, and perhaps add a couple of pets to the equation. However, I have no experience with the condition. My family is mostly monolingual, but heart conditions took them before dementia could settle in.
Even so, I've seen the benefits of education in senior citizens. My own grandmother got her middle school diploma when she was in her 60's, and school kept her busy and happy. Society discouraged her from pursuing higher education, but she still became a voracious reader. She knows a lot about history, art, and other cultures. The woman educated herself! This August she will be 80, but she's a very independant senior citizen. At her age, she has no need of a caregiver. ▲ Collapse
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