研究表明，掌握多种语言能够为大脑提供类似肌肉锻炼的刺激，帮助保持认知敏锐。[1]多项长期研究验证了多语言与延迟痴呆诊断之间的关联，这一发现已在超过50年的研究中得到确认。[1]加拿大约克大学的Ellen Bialystok教授指出："学习语言是艰难的，这正是它的价值所在。"[1]
研究数据显示出语言数量与脑部年龄之间的显著关联。[1]掌握两到三种语言的人，其大脑看起来比单语使用者年轻6岁；而掌握四种语言者的大脑则显得年轻13岁。[1]西班牙巴斯克认知脑与语言中心研究员Lucia Amoruso基于超过86,000人的数据进行的研究发现，单语使用者面临的加速衰老风险约为双语使用者的两倍。[1]该研究涵盖27个欧洲国家，已于去年发表在《Nature Ageing》期刊。[1]
即使患有阿尔茨海默病的病理变化，双语人士的大脑仍能在较长时间内保持功能——研究显示这一保护期可达4至5年。[1]
Learning new languages provides intensive cognitive training that helps maintain mental sharpness throughout aging, according to recent research.[1] Studies spanning over 50 years have demonstrated that multilingualism may delay dementia diagnosis and slow brain aging.[1] Professor Ellen Bialystok explains that "learning a language is hard, and that is precisely why it is valuable," emphasizing how the difficulty of language acquisition contributes to cognitive benefits.[1]
Research findings show substantial differences in brain health between multilingual and monolingual individuals.[1] People who speak two or three languages have brains that appear six years younger than monolingual speakers, while those fluent in four languages show brain aging reduced by 13 years.[1] Conversely, monolingual speakers face approximately twice the risk of accelerated brain aging compared to bilingual individuals.[1] Even when multilingual people develop Alzheimer's pathological changes, their brains maintain functional capacity for four to five additional years.[1]
A comprehensive study by Lucia Amoruso analyzing data from over 86,000 individuals across 27 European countries, published in Nature Ageing last year, underscores the widespread cognitive benefits of multilingualism.[1]