How Learning a New Language Keeps Your Brain Healthy

Are you passionate about learning a new languages?

While many people dive into language learning for various reasons, its benefits extend far beyond just acquiring linguistic skills. Some people are generally curious about the structure, evolution, and diversity of languages while others seek to connect with their cultural roots and preserve the cultural heritage by learning the language of their ancestors.

Whether your motivation is practical or personal, the one universal advantage we all gain from learning a new language is the intellectual stimulation it provides. This mental exercise leads to significant positive changes in brain structure and function. Let’s explore what happens inside the brain of an active language learner.

1. Increased Brain Volume

Numerous researches have suggested that language learning can lead to an increase in grey matter volume in certain brain regions, particularly in areas associated with language processing and executive functions.

One of the brain regions that often shows increased grey matter volume is the hippocampus. Learning a new language, especially in an immersive and challenging environment, stimulates the hippocampus as learners encode and recall new vocabulary, grammatical structures, and pronunciation rules.

2. Better Cognitive Functions

Cognitive functions are mental processes that allow us to gather, process, and use information from the environment. Cognitive functions are the building blocks of various cognitive activities, such as memory, attention, problem-solving, decision-making and language-processing.

Studies conducted in people who are fluent in two or more languages often display better cognitive functions, such as attention, working memory, and problem-solving abilities, than people who are monolingual.

3. Better Executive Functions

Executive functions are a subset of cognitive functions that involve higher-level, goal-directed processes responsible for guiding and regulating our behaviour. They are sometimes referred to as the “CEO” of the brain.

Since language learning requires managing time and multiple linguistic systems, active learners often exhibit strong executive functions. They need to be organised and create a systematic plan to achieve a goal or complete a task. Naturally, they’re flexible and learn to adjust thinking in response to new language structures and linguistic challenges.

4. Improved Memory

Fundamentally, language learning heavily involves memorisation. Learners need to learn and recall new vocabulary and grammar rules. This can have a positive impact on memory by stimulating various cognitive processes and brain regions associated with memory formation and retention.

For example, the constant practice of new words, phrases, and grammar structures enhances learners’ working memory capacity. Learning grammar rules and word formation also improves pattern recognition abilities. Managing two or more languages certainly requires constant memory retrieval and inhibition, leading to improved executive control and memory abilities.

5. Neuroplastictiy

Language learning engages various brain regions particularly involved in memory and language processing. The process is known to stimulate the brain’s neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to form new connections and adapt to new learning experiences.

A study, published in Cortex Journal, found that structural neuroplasticity is commonly observed in the brain as a result of one’s bilingual experience. The neural patterns observed often exhibit anatomical changes in brain structure, including increased grey matter density, increased cortical thickness, and white matter integrity.

The changes related to language learning can be observed in people across different age groups, including children, young adults, and the elderly. These changes can happen rapidly during short-term language learning or training. However, it should be noted that they are sensitive to various factors, such as age, age of language acquisition, and language proficiency.

6. Delayed Cognitive Decline

Some studies suggest that language learning may delay the onset of age-related cognitive decline and neurogenerative diseases like dementia. Since language learning is a mentally challenging activity that engages multiple cognitive processes, regularly stimulating the brain through learning and using new languages may contribute to a larger brain reserve – the brain’s ability to compensate for age-related changes and pathology.

While language learning may not completely prevent dementia, incorporating language learning into one’s lifestyle can be a valuable component of a comprehensive approach to brain health.

In essence

If you’re not already a language enthusiast, it’s never too late to start. Language learning, with no doubt, provides more benefits for the brain than what was initially believed. Yet, it should be noted that these benefits are most evident when language learning and usage are done consistently and actively. It’s important for the brain to be engaged in meaningful ways. Regular practice, immersion, and exposure to the new language are the keys for maximising the positive effects on the brain.

Whether you’re learning a language for personal, academic, or professional reasons, the long-lasting cognitive benefits you reap will make it an enriching and worthwhile experience in the long run.

DeepGamma.