Older people who use more than two languages have less memory problems, scientists from Luxemburg have observed, informs the EurekAlert research website.
Researchers found that people who spoke four or more languages were five times less likely to develop cognitive problems than those who spoke two foreign languages.
People who spoke three languages compared to those who spoke only two foreign languages had about three times lower risk of developing memory problems, according to a study by Dr. Magali Perquin of the Public Research Center for Health in Luxembourg.
The study included 230 men and women who spoke (in the past or during the project) from 2 to 7 languages. The mean age of the participants was 73; 44 people had all sorts of cognitive problems, the rest of the group had good memory.
As the authors of the reports conclude, further research is needed to confirm their discovery. It is also necessary to investigate whether the beneficial influence of foreign language knowledge on memory concerns only the ability to think logically or all cognitive aspects. (PAP)