An initiative of ASPEN (Authors' Self-Publishing Enterprise)

The New NURTURING POTENTIAL

in Education, Personal Growth, Health, Business, Ecology and the Arts 


Volume 2 - No. 2 - 2014


 

Language

"There is nothing new except what has been forgotten" - Marie Anoinette

 

 

Learn a second language for the sake of your health

 

A study conducted by the University of Edinburgh has determined that learning a second language, even in later life, may aid cognition and even delay the onset of some forms of dementia by several years.

An article by the American Neurological Association,  published online: 2 JUN 2014 stated:

"Recent evidence suggests a positive impact of bilingualism on cognition, including later onset of dementia. However, monolinguals and bilinguals might have different baseline cognitive ability. We present the first study examining the effect of bilingualism on later-life cognition controlling for childhood intelligence. We studied 853 participants, first tested in 1947 (age=11 years), and retested in 2008–2010. Bilinguals performed significantly better than predicted from their baseline cognitive abilities, with strongest effects on general intelligence and reading. Our results suggest a positive effect of bilingualism on later-life cognition, including in those who acquired their second language in adulthood. "

Our article examines this study and suggests that  this conclusion should not perhaps be too surprising.