Learning a New Language Can Help Keep Brains Young

If you are looking for ways to delay dementia and possibly even prevent Alzheimer's, you may want to consider learning a second language. A number of studies have shown a link between the ability to speak two or more languages and the prevention of brain deterioration. This is true whether you have spoken two languages your whole life or you learn it later, and regardless of your education level. Multiple languages is, in fact, a better indicator of long-lasting brain health than education levels in the opinion of some experts. Here is a look at why this may be the case, and how you can learn two languages quickly and easily:

Languages Can Mean Flexibility of Thought
Part of the reason that being bilingual, trilingual or otherwise multilingual leads to a younger brain is that it offers flexibility in the way you view things. The phrases that are used to describe things, and even words themselves have within them a bias that creates a change in how you view the world. Eskimos have multiple words for types of snow, but no general snow category. The word for potato in French translates directly into "apple of the earth." The Swedes have a word that means just enough-- not too little, not too much, which emphasizes the importance of moderation in the culture. When you speak two or more languages, you begin to think in multiple ways about the same items. This creates new neural connections that allow your brain another way to access a word or concept if one of these nerve routes is impaired.

How to Learn a New Language
There are a number of different ways to learn a new language. The most successful way for you to learn will depend on your access to time and travel combined with your personal learning style. For those who only have a little time and want something free, there are a number of online apps designed to help you to learn languages a little at a time. If you want something a little more formal and you learn well in a classroom setting, consider taking a university extension class. For those who learn best in an immersion setting, there are intensive classes in foreign-language speaking countries that you can take where you stay with a host family and do half-days of class. Once you learn, try and find a friend to practice with. One great partnership is to find someone who speaks the language natively and will converse with you. If they speak English as a second language, it gives you the opportunity to help one another. 

Keeping Your Second Language Fresh
If you spoke another language in high school or college, or you learned a language as a child from grandparents or parents, then your brain health can benefit from keeping that language fresh. Travel to places where it is spoken. Join a local language club. Read websites, newspapers or even novels in that language. Watch foreign films. Call your relatives from other countries. It can be done any way that works for you and your lifestyle, provided you remember to practice as often as you have a chance.