Learning a new language is good for the brain (even if you never become fluent)

Over the past year, I’ve really dropped the ball when it comes to my daily Spanish practice.

Although the pandemic might not be entirely to blame for this, I’m pretty sure it’s at least part of the problem, since in the before times I’d practise extra hard in advance of my next trip — and there hasn’t been one of those in a long time. And it might be a while still.

There are plenty of other great reasons to learn a second (or third or fourth) language, though. Some people learn languages for work or school. Others want to have richer conversations with friends and family. And, increasingly, a lot of Canadians are working on a second language to help their grey matter.

“We did a survey in 2020 and found that a lot of Canadians said they were learning a new language for mental health and brain fitness,” says Hector Hernandez, curriculum manager and expert linguist at Babbel Live. “Many people said they were using Babbel to stay mentally active during COVID and, for some, it even helped them cope with isolation.”

While I was slacking off, it turns out that a lot of other people were redoubling their efforts and/or making resolutions to learn a new language during the shutdown(s). Many wanted to feel a sense of accomplishment; others were looking for human connection, which is part of the reason Babbel has revamped its platform — launching this month in Canada is “Babbel Live,” which offers group lessons, live classes and, generally speaking, more opportunities for interactivity.

Others, though, are joining because they’ve heard that learning a language is good for the brain and is said to offer protection against dementia. And a new paper, “Bilingualism: Pathway to Cognitive Reserve,” indicates that the protection is significant — in some cases, leading to years of improved cognitive function.

“How do we know?” says Ellen Bialystok, distinguished research professor of psychology at York University and author of the study. “Well, thousands of patient studies from all around the world have replicated this many times. If you compare monolingual and bilingual patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, you’ll find that the bilinguals have been functioning as though they were normal for three or four years.”

Bialystok explains that “cognitive reserve,” which is a term that loosely refers to the neural pathways that we build when we learn languages (and many other things, not just language), only protects us from symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, not the diseases themselves. Nobody’s come up with a cure for dementia yet and there’s only so far cognitive reserve can take us since neural pathways can’t outsmart these diseases forever.

“Some people ask, ‘Well, what’s the point?’” she says, “But the point is getting four or so extra years of living as though you don’t have the disease. That’s the point. Adding a few years of independent living to life is a pretty big deal if you can keep cognitive levels normal.”

In other words, if you’re going to get a disease no matter what you do, asymptomatic is definitely the way to go. And nothing lasts forever. So, given this, I started to think it was time to get back on the language wagon. The good news is that there’s no shortage of options, some of which are free and others, like Babbel, are subscription-based. The Toronto Public Library offers a free subscription to Mango Languages, which I really like. And, as far as I can tell, all of the apps and programs offer free podcasts, which I’ve found personally to help the most in real-life conversations, since people tend to speak more quickly and idiomatically than the apps can prepare you for.

Is it enough, though?

“What we find is that using the language is more important than how proficient you are, so you may make lots of mistakes, but that’s probably OK,” she says. “The thing about cognitive reserve experiences, like joining a club or doing crossword puzzles or reading books, is that they all help cognition by keeping your brain active.”

Don’t expect to become bilingual, she tells me, but also says that probably doesn’t matter. And when middle-aged people ask her if they should bother, the answer is “unequivocally yes.”

I would have resumed Spanish regardless, since I feel the more I understand the better my experience is when I travel. I’m not alone in that, says Babbel’s Hernandez, who tells me that a lot of that platform’s users are taking lessons to enhance their travel experience. And, in addition, a lot of members sign up just because they’ve always been interested in a specific language, country or culture.

And that’s really what it’s all about right? Sometimes we focus on a specific payoff for learning something new, as though it’s a transaction. But learning — anything, really, not just languages — is about the intangibles, opening your mind to new ways of thinking and new experiences.

“I’m always kind of disappointed that Canadians aren’t more interested in this, because we have a tremendous opportunity to make bilingualism a more important part of life,” says Bialystok. “A lot of kids went to French immersion and Toronto is a very diverse community, where we welcome and celebrate multiple languages and cultures.

“I think we have to go one step further, though” she continues. “More languages are better, diversity is fantastic and we should all try to embrace that, not only by being accepting of it, but also by working to make it a part of our own lives.”