The study found no evidence that the protective effect of multilingualism depended on the language learned. Photograph: iStockLearning to speak one or more new languages can slow biological ageing and protect the brain against age-related cognitive decline. So says new research reported in Nature Ageing, by scientists at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), the Basque Center On Cognition, Brain and Language in San Sebastian and the Latin American Brain Health Institute in Santiago, Chile. “Our results provide strong evidence that multilingualism functions as a protective factor for healthy ageing,” said Agustín Ibáñez, professor of global brain health at TCD, who co-led the research. Ageing clockA “bio-behavioural ageing clock” method was used to compare the participants’ predicted biological age, based on health, cognition, education and lifestyle factors, with their actual chronological age.

Source: The Irish Times November 11, 2025 11:50 UTC