Jon Andoni Duñabeitia
Researcher in Cognitive Science of Language and Professor of Psychology at Nebrija University
This study is robust and highly relevant because it provides compelling empirical evidence on a line of research and debate that has been shaping the agenda of many international centers and laboratories for over a decade: speaking several languages not only influences cognitive processes, but its impact also extends to general health and the aging process. The authors used an innovative approach that allows for estimating biological age based on multiple health and lifestyle factors, showing that multilingual individuals tend to have healthier aging profiles.
The most remarkable aspect of this study is its magnitude and volume of data, with tens of thousands of participants. The empirical confirmation that multilingualism acts as a protective factor comparable to other healthy habits is undoubtedly a significant finding. Furthermore, these results must be understood within the real global context, where monolingualism is not the human norm, but a recent cultural exception. In most parts of the world, the everyday use of several languages is natural, and this linguistic diversity could play an even more important role in promoting healthy aging.
One aspect to consider is that the study does not demonstrate direct causality. In other words, these results do not allow us to conclude that speaking several languages directly delays aging, but they do suggest that those who do so appear to age better. The next natural step will be to understand which aspects of multilingualism have the greatest impact on these benefits. The frequency of use of each language, the context in which it is spoken, the linguistic typology, the mode and timing of acquisition, and many other critical variables can play fundamental modulating roles. This level of granularity will be key to transforming the evidence into educational and public health policies that recognize the value of multilingualism as a resource for well-being.