Learning a second language may help slow down dementia by 7 years
23rd May 2022
A recent study found that learning one other language can delay dementia. Scientists believe speaking a foreign language provides mental stimulation which is proven to delay cognitive decline. Bilingual individuals are identified with dementia 5 to 7 years later than those that communicate in one language.
Another study which looked at cognitive experiments showed the longer and more fluent someone is in a second language, the better the protection.
Federico Gallo, from the Nationwide Analysis College Greater Faculty of Economics (HSE) in Russia, found that counselling bilingualism may be one of the strongest methods to guard against dementia.
Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life, such as paying bills or preparing meals. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia.
Dementia is caused by damage to the brain which interferes with the ability of cells to communicate with each other. When brain cells cannot communicate normally, thinking, behaviour and feelings can be affected.
Dementia is a leading cause of death in the UK, with 900,000 Brits affected by this memory-robbing condition and set to rise to over 1 million by 2025.
Learning a second language addresses all aspects of dementia. It:
- enhances problem solving skills
- improves verbal and spatial abilities
- improves memory function (long & short-term)
- enhanced creative thinking
- improves memory
Just another reason to enrol on a language school or download an app!
