People who speak four languages may have brains that appear roughly 13 years younger than their actual age, according to research presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2026.
The study, led by Dr. Lucia Amoruso of the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language in San Sebastian, used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to measure brain activity in 728 people and built an AI-powered brain aging clock that estimated typical neural connectivity patterns at different ages. When applied to a separate group of 144 people, the clock revealed a striking dose-response relationship with language use.
People who spoke two languages had brains appearing about six years younger than monolinguals. Three languages corresponded to roughly seven years of apparent younger age. Four languages pushed the gap to about 13 years.
The effect was not only related to the number of languages spoken, said Dr. Amoruso. Higher language proficiency and earlier acquisition of a second language were also associated with more delayed brain aging. This suggests that multilingual experience matters as a gradient: it is not simply about being bilingual or not, but about the depth and duration of language experience.
The brain aging clock works by analyzing patterns of neural connectivity which tend to weaken with age, contributing to slower thinking and memory decline. The AI model learned what typical connectivity looks like at different life stages, then compared each participant's brain to that baseline.
The researchers adjusted for age, sex, and education, but cautioned that lifestyle factors and social engagement could also contribute to the observed differences. They now plan to investigate whether similar patterns appear in people with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence that cognitively demanding activities, particularly language learning, may build resilience against age-related brain changes.
