Multilingualism as a Protective Factor Against Accelerated Aging
The recent study by Amoruso et al. (2025) “Multilingualism protects against accelerated aging in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of 27 European countries” examines how multilingualism may serve as a buffer against biological and behavioural indicators of accelerated aging. Using data from 86,149 participants across 27 European nations, the authors operationalised a “biobehavioural age gap” (BAG) metric based on functional ability, education, cognition (positive factors) and cardiometabolic conditions, sensory impairments, sex (female) and other adverse factors. The findings show that, in cross-sectional analyses, multilingualism was associated with nearly a halving of the odds of accelerated aging (odds ratio = 0.46), and in longitudinal analyses the relative risk was similarly reduced (RR = 0.70). In contrast, monolingualism increased the risk (odds ratio = 2.11; RR = 1.43).
These results are significant for several reasons. First, they move beyond earlier smaller-scale or clinical cohort studies by using large, population-based European samples, thereby enhancing the generalisability of the findings. Second, the authors controlled for a wide range of linguistic, physical, social and sociopolitical exposures – suggesting that the protective effect of multilingualism is robust to many confounders. Third, from a public-health and educational perspective, the results point to the value of language-learning and multilingual engagement as potentially modifiable factors that could contribute to healthier aging trajectories.
In relation to education and inclusive learning (aligned with SDG 4 – Quality Education), this study adds an important dimension: language learning not only supports cognitive reserve, social integration and lifelong learning, but may also have measurable effects on aging and health equity. For educators and policymakers, promoting multilingualism could become part of a broader strategy for fostering equitable, lifelong educational opportunities and enhancing well-being across the lifespan. The study thus highlights a meaningful intersection between language policy, lifelong learning initiatives and healthy aging frameworks.
Reference:
Amoruso, L., Hernandez, H., Santamaria-Garcia, H., et al. (2025). Multilingualism protects against accelerated aging in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of 27 European countries. Nature Aging. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-01000-2
Serra Húnter Fellow of Sociology at Universitat Rovira i Virgili.
Former DAAD-Gastprofessorin at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg