"Why Do Some People Seem Ageless?"... Multilingualism Slows Aging

The More Languages You Use, the Greater the Effect
"Multilingual Ability Is a Brain-Training Exercise"

New research has found that routinely using two or more languages can slow the aging process in older adults.

Actor Lee Byungheon is greeting fans at the open talk for the opening film "No Other Choice" of the 30th Busan International Film Festival held on September 18 at the Busan Cinema Center in U-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan. Lee Byungheon is known as a youthful celebrity and fluent English speaker. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

An international research team led by Professor Agustin Ibanez of Trinity College Dublin in Ireland recently published a study in the scientific journal Nature Aging, reporting that people who use multiple languages consistently experience slower biological aging compared to those who use only one language. The researchers suggested that, based on these findings, promoting multilingualism at the population level could be an effective strategy for encouraging healthy aging.

The team analyzed data from over 86,000 people (with an average age of 66.5 years) across 27 European countries. Their analysis revealed that individuals who spoke only one language were about twice as likely to experience accelerated aging compared to multilingual speakers. The more languages a person used, the greater the effect. The study also reaffirmed that structural differences between a native language and a second language directly influence the intensity of brain stimulation. For example, when Korean speakers learn a language with a different word order such as English, a language with a different grammatical system such as French or Spanish, or a language with entirely different pronunciation and writing systems such as Chinese or Japanese, various circuits in the brain are activated simultaneously, strengthening overall cognitive function.

The researchers measured the 'biobehavioral age gap,' which refers to the difference between a person's actual age and their predicted age based on health and lifestyle factors. If the predicted age was higher than the actual age, it was considered 'accelerated aging,' while a lower predicted age indicated 'delayed aging.' The survey included measures of functional ability, education, cognitive function, cardiovascular disease, and sensory impairment.

The research team reported that, at a given point in time, multilingual speakers had about a 54% lower risk of experiencing accelerated aging compared to monolingual speakers. Over time, the risk of developing accelerated aging was also 30% lower for multilingual individuals. The researchers added that this difference remained statistically significant even after accounting for age, linguistic, physical, and socio-political factors.

This study is significant in that it more clearly demonstrates the relationship between multilingualism and delayed aging using a large sample and systematic measurement methods. The researchers explained that their findings suggest multilingualism may help protect older adults from aging and could be incorporated into global health strategies.

Professor Agustin Ibanez emphasized, "Multilingual ability is not just a language skill but a daily exercise that trains the brain. Lifelong language learning can become an essential pillar of public policy for promoting healthy aging."

However, further research is needed to determine whether multilingualism directly slows aging, or if it is the result of a combination of diverse social and cognitive stimulation.

Meanwhile, aging remains a major global health issue associated with cognitive decline and physical impairment, and identifying factors that can help protect against these effects has become an important challenge.