Multilingualism Slows Aging, Study Reveals

Multilingualism Is Associated With Delayed Aging

By: Anna Drangowska-Way

Date: November 12, 2025

The Correlation Was Stronger With More Spoken Languages

A recent association study involving over 80,000 Europeans concluded that populations that speak multiple languages age more slowly than those that do not. This study employed a biobehavioral aging metric that encompassed cognitive ability, physical function, and various age-related conditions.

Further analysis suggested that the protective effect of speaking one foreign language lessens with age; however, the advantageous impact of speaking two or more foreign languages strengthened as individuals aged [1].

Beyond Communication

Learning a foreign language and retaining this knowledge over the long term is a formidable challenge. However, findings from research indicate that these efforts provide benefits that surpass mere communication and cultural enrichment.

Research on multilingualism, defined as the regular use of more than one language, suggests its protective role in mitigating cognitive decline and age-associated neurodegenerative diseases [2] [3] [4]. Despite these compelling insights, such studies faced limitations, including a focus on individuals already exhibiting cognitive decline rather than those in good health or utilizing small sample sizes.

To address these shortcomings, a recent study investigated whether multilingualism influences aging by analyzing data from 86,149 individuals across 27 European countries, excluding anyone diagnosed with dementia. The analysis deemed multilingualism as a combined country-level percentage of individuals speaking one, two, three, or more languages. Individual data was utilized to gauge the aging rate.

The authors measured this aging rate by calculating biobehavioral age gaps (BAGs), representing the variance between an individual's chronological age and the age predicted by a model. This measure proves more sensitive than the indirect markers employed in prior explorations into this subject. The BAG model accounts for both positive and adverse risk factors to which the individual has been exposed. A positive BAG indicates accelerated aging, while a negative value signals delayed aging.

The More the Merrier

Two analysis types were employed: cross-sectional and longitudinal. While results varied slightly, both underscore the positive effects of multilingualism on aging.

In the cross-sectional analysis, monolinguals were found to be 2.11 times more likely to experience accelerated aging, while individuals who spoke at least one additional language exhibited a 2.17 times lower probability of accelerated aging. Specifically:

Longitudinal analysis yielded similar options, indicating a protective effect linked with language acquisition over time, where monolinguals had a 1.4 times higher chance of accelerated aging compared to multilingual individuals. The specific probabilities varied according to the number of languages spoken:

An additional analysis based on age groups reaffirmed the protective impacts; however, it noted the diminishing benefits of speaking only one foreign language with age, while benefits from two or more languages remained consistent.

Other Factors

The study's authors acknowledged previous research overlooked confounding factors, exposures to various lifestyle traits, and socioeconomic elements, leading to inconsistent results and misinterpreted data. They adjusted their analysis using aggregate country-level data to accommodate diverse linguistic, social, physical, and sociopolitical contexts, observing only minor changes to the protective effect of multilingualism.

They did note two confounding factors, where the positive impacts of multilingualism vanished in cross-sectional analysis after adjusting for immigration status, and in longitudinal analysis, where bilingual benefits similarly diminished upon controlling for gender equality.

The authors hypothesized that since migration often entails various stressors, it could contribute to “stressful multilingualism,” whereby additional language acquisition is driven by necessity, potentially undermining the positive impacts associated with language learning. Similarly, in environments characterized by low gender equality, similar negative factors might influence the effectiveness of multilingualism, implying more significant determinants beyond individual lifestyle choices may crucially affect aging.

Not the First Evidence, But Strong Evidence

This research revealed a compelling link between multilingualism and a decreased risk of accelerated aging, while monolingualism corresponded with heightened risks of rapid aging.

Though not the first study to demonstrate the affirmative impacts of language multiplicity, it addressed significant limitations noted in prior research, enhancing the robustness of the evidence and advocating multilingualism, alongside other lifestyle factors, as a public health directive for protecting against accelerated aging.

While derived from a substantial dataset, the current study does not establish causality between its observed associations. Future research, particularly those based on experimental or intervention designs, is requisite to elucidate causality.

The researchers further remarked that their measurements were broad-ranging and that the participants likely embodied diverse multilingual profiles. Nonetheless, the strength of the observed associations indicates their generalizability, supported by the broad variability in profiles. Future studies employing individual-level metrics detailing language acquisition and proficiency levels are essential for discerning differences in protective levels across various multilingual profiles, as the reliance on country-level data constrained the authors' conclusions.

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Literature

• [1] Amoruso, L., et al. (2025). Multilingualism protects against accelerated aging in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of 27 European countries. Nature Aging, 10.1038/s43587-025-01000-2. Advance online publication.
• [2] Alladi, S., et al. (2013). Bilingualism delays age at onset of dementia, independent of education and immigration status. Neurology, 81(22), 1938–1944.
• [3] Craik, F. I., et al. (2010). Delaying the onset of Alzheimer disease: bilingualism as a form of cognitive reserve. Neurology, 75(19), 1726–1729.
• [4] Venugopal, A., et al. (2024). Protective effect of bilingualism on aging, MCI, and dementia: A community-based study. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 20(4), 2620–2631.