Do you need a good excuse to learn a second language?

Last month I saw a a flurry of articles in the media about the effects of learning a second language on the aging brain.  That was a topic right up my alley. Isn't it great when you find that something you love to do is actually good for you?   I'm always looking for an excuse to spend more of my day acquiring another language.

Here is what some recent research has to offer us. And I am cheered by the findings!

A study done in Scotland by Dr. Thomas Bak from the University of Edinburgh compared cognitive data on a group of people now in their early 70's to data acquired when they were age 11. He was interested in the question of whether learning languages later in life gave some of the cognitive benefits that had previously been reported for bilingual speakers.  

Intelligence tests had been administered in 1947 to 835 monolingual speakers in the Edinburgh, Scotland area.  262 of these speakers then acquired a second language during their lives. 195 of them acquired the second language before age 18, which we often consider the more desirable time of life for language acquisition.  But 65 of the participants had acquired one or more second languages later in life.  Now here is where it gets interesting.

The intelligence tests given to the 70 year olds revealed that those who had acquired a second language performed better on tests of general intelligence and reading than those who had not.  And it did not matter if the second language had been acquired before or after age 18!

The benefits of second language acquisition on the aging brain are being compared to the benefits of physical activity or not smoking. (Does this mean I can skip my morning walk and practice Portuguese on Duolingo.com instead?)

Why learning a second language has cognitive benefits is a matter of speculation with researchers at this time. Some describe being bilingual as forcing the brain to switch between two different codes, thus providing a "mental workout."  

This Scottish study is being hailed as the first step into research about cognition and the aging brain.  I have lots of questions as you probably do too.  Does only speaking ability provide benefit to the brain, or would learning to read and write in the language have similar benefits? How is "speaking a language"  being defined? There is quite a stretch between carrying on a simple conversation, like ordering in a restaurant, and a more complex task, like explaining to the police that your rental car has been stolen. 

But as it stands now,  acquiring other languages is probably good for my brain.  Now if I could only get those researchers to prove that tacos, chips and salsa, and gelato give similar benefits!

Want to read more?  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-06-languages-benefits-aging-brain.html