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Speaking two or more languages may help slow brain aging, according to new research.
The study, presented at the 2026 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies Forum, found that people who spoke multiple languages appeared to have younger brains than those who spoke only one language.
Researchers analyzed brain activity from hundreds of people in Spain’s Basque region who spoke between one and four languages, including Spanish, Basque, French and English. They used artificial intelligence to estimate each participant’s “brain age” based on patterns of brain connectivity.
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The researchers found that bilingual participants had brains that appeared about six years younger than those of monolingual participants. People who spoke three languages had brains that appeared about seven years younger, while those who spoke four languages had brains that appeared roughly 13 years younger.
The findings also suggested that people who learned a second language earlier in life and became highly fluent experienced greater benefits.
Dr. Tommy Wood, a neuroscientist, performance consultant and author of “The Stimulated Mind: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age,” said the findings support earlier research showing that speaking multiple languages may help protect cognitive function as people age.
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“Most of the evidence for the benefit of learning multiple languages comes from individuals who grew up bilingual or learned multiple languages in childhood,” Wood, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
He said adults who didn’t grow up speaking more than one language should not assume it’s too late to benefit.
“There’s no clear cutoff in age where learning a second language would no longer be beneficial,” Wood said.
Several randomized controlled trials involving older adults have found improvements in attention, working memory and executive function after just a few months of language learning, he said.
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Beyond improving cognitive function, Wood said learning a new language can also help people stay socially engaged and strengthen the brain’s ability to absorb new information.
He encouraged adults not to be discouraged by making mistakes while learning.
“It’s also important to lean into the process of being a beginner,” Wood said.
“Making mistakes is one of the biggest drivers of neuroplasticity and learning,” he said. “If you do choose to learn a new language, get stuck in, challenge yourself and embrace the occasional failure. You’ll actually learn faster as a result.”
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The researchers acknowledged several limitations to the study.
While they accounted for factors such as age, sex and education, they said they could not rule out the influence of other factors, including lifestyle and social engagement, that may have affected the findings.
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