How to avoid brain aging?
Would you like to find out how to stay young, well at least how to keep your brain active when you’re 70? There seems to be a way, it’s even supported with scientific research!
Scientist confirmed that learning second language delays brain aging.
We’ve all heard in the media that dementia in old age is quite likely to touch us or our loved ones. We have been able to extend our lives in the recent decades, but our brains lose the agility in the old age. So, when the retirement time comes we can’t enjoy life as much as we might have hoped for.
Some studies have shown that bilingual speakers who develop dementia, on average show symptoms 5 to 7 years later compared to people who never learned another language.
Recent study further confirms the benefits of learning a foreign language.
In the study discussed by The Washington Post (CLICK HERE), scientist at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology provide findings from a research confirming that if you learn a second language, your brain is much more active when you’re 70 compared to people who speak only one language.
Furthermore, the research confirmed that bilinguals in their 70s have outperformed their monolingual counterparts on cognitive test even if they scored lower on intelligence tests in their younger years.
To put it another way, people with lower IQ scores who have learned a second language (even as adults) retain higher brain activity and agility, and in their old age they outperform people who had higher IQ scores but didn’t learn a second language. The second language does help with staying young.
Therefore, for all of us who didn’t pay much attention in the foreign language classes, there is still hope.
Learning a second language has many advantages. In recent post (link to learning grows your brain) we covered that learning another language physically grows your brain. We now know that a second language will improve our enjoyment of the retirement as our brains will be more active. Not to mention, that learning another language helps us with understanding other cultures, and improves our chances of having a good job.
On the other hand, if you need to communicate with your clients in other language it might be difficult to learn a new language within couple weeks, so for those instances, give us a call. Our ‘big-brained’ translators will be happy to help with your translation needs.
