Not so fast: A 91视频 professor of psychology is disputing a high-profile study claiming that people who live in multilingual countries show healthier brain aging. Photo courtesy: Getty Images
91视频 professor of psychology Arturo Hernandez is disputing a published in the journal Nature Aging claiming that people who live in multilingual countries show healthier brain aging. Though the study got lots of attention, Hernandez reports in the journal that the findings warrant cautious interpretation and reframing of public health implications.
鈥淲e took a closer look and argued that the study鈥檚 conclusions go further than the data can support,鈥� said Hernandez.
According to Hernandez, the countries with high multilingualism in Europe also happen to be the wealthiest, with the best health care systems and the longest life expectancies, sometimes by as much as six years. When those structural differences are accounted for, the apparent language effect largely disappears.
鈥淭here is a real temptation in science to find individual behavioral solutions: learn a language, do a puzzle, take a supplement 鈥� are all suggested as solutions to problems that are fundamentally structural,鈥� said Hernandez. 鈥淲hen those solutions get oversold, it can erode public trust in science and distract from the harder work of building the conditions that actually support healthy aging: Access to healthcare, good nutrition, economic stability. We wanted to make sure the public gets an accurate picture of what the evidence shows.鈥�
In the original article, researchers examined records in 27 European countries and claimed that multilingualism protects against accelerated aging whereas monolingualism increased risk of accelerated aging.
Countries with high multilingualism, like Luxembourg (82.5 years) and the Netherlands (82.5 years), have some of the highest life expectancies in the world. Meanwhile, countries with low multilingualism, such as Bulgaria (75.8 years) and Romania (76.3 years), lag nearly six or seven years behind.
鈥淎 six-year gap in life expectancy is unlikely to be explained by language. World-class healthcare, superior early-childhood nutrition, higher occupational safety, and lower chronic stress offer a more parsimonious account鈥攖he same structural forces that produce longevity in general,鈥� said Hernandez, who points to Japan as another example.
As a largely monolingual society, it boasts an exceptional life expectancy of 84.5 years. 鈥淟ow inequality, a healthy diet, and a robust universal healthcare system account for that advantage far better than language ever could,鈥� said Hernandez.
鈥淟earning a language is a beautiful, culturally enriching endeavor. It connects us to others and expands our world. But we must be careful not to overpromise it as a clinical intervention for aging,鈥� said Hernandez.
鈥淎s scientists, we do a disservice to the public when we promote individual behavioral hacks as substitutes for structural resources,鈥� he said.