Speaking Multiple Languages May Help Slow Aging, Study Finds
- Yul So
- Nov 19
- 1 min read
Nov 19, 2025
Yul So
Using more than one language in daily life may slow biological aging in older adults, according to a study published in Nature Aging. An international team led by Professor Agustín Ibáñez of Trinity College Dublin analyzed data from more than 86,000 people across 27 European countries, with an average age of 66.5.
The researchers examined the “biobehavioral age gap,” a measure that compares a person’s actual age to an age predicted by their health, lifestyle, cognitive ability, and daily functioning. A higher predicted age indicates faster aging, while a lower predicted age suggests slower aging.
Their analysis showed that multilingual adults were about 54 percent less likely to experience accelerated aging at any given moment than those who spoke only one language. Over time, multilingual individuals were also around 30 percent less likely to exhibit signs of rapid aging. In practical terms, older adults who used only one language had almost double the risk of accelerated aging compared with multilinguals. These results remained strong even after accounting for education, physical health, and social factors.
Earlier studies suggested that speaking multiple languages might help preserve cognitive skills, but many were based on small samples. This large-scale study provides more consistent evidence that multilingualism may support overall healthier aging.
The researchers note that further research is needed to understand whether multilingualism directly slows aging or whether it is linked to other positive habits, such as increased mental or social activity. Still, they say promoting multilingualism could be a simple and effective way to support healthy aging worldwide.
