Bilingualism and the brain: can learning a language boost memory across the lifespan?

Dr. Meesha Warmington

School of Education

Our memory plays an important role in every aspect of our lives and research has shown that training our memory can bring long-lasting improvements in mental fitness and abilities. One particularly effective way to train our memory is to learn a foreign language. We know that speaking two or more languages from a very young age has been shown to improve brain functioning, memory and attention. Therefore, the benefits for our minds and brains that come from language learning could have tremendous potential to support healthy ageing.

In this talk, I will provide a lay overview of the scientific evidence of the potential health, physiological and lifestyle advantages of speaking more than one language. I will also present some recent work that I conducted with a Mobile Language Learning App company which shows that not only is it possible to successfully engage with and learn a new language in adulthood, but that learning a new language can have positive lifestyle changes.