There is growing evidence which suggests that learning a second language can improve important attention and concentration functions in the brain, regardless of the age of the person learning the language. A new study shows a possible link between bilingual skills and cognitive functions that improve attention and concentration. This improvement is extended even to young adults who had learned a second language after early childhood.

Though the study conducted was a small one, with only 98 participants, and the cognitive testing was in no way extensive, those who were bilingual were able to perform better than those who were monolingual. They were able to better discriminate between unnecessary stimuli and instead focus on the more important stimuli at hand.

While there is not sufficient evidence to conclusively claim that the effects of learning a second language can extend into middle and late adulthood, research is underway and researchers are optimistic about what they hope to find.

Some preliminary evidence does exist, in the form of a study conducted previously in India which found that those who spoke two languages tended to develop dementia an average of four years later than those who spoke only one.

One of the possible explanations for why bilingualism benefits the brain is the training of auditory attention functions within the brain. Auditory attention is an essential part of concentration for many people and is thought to play a role in the development of dementia. In fact, Alzheimer’s medications currently seek to stimulate and preserve these specific cognitive functions in patients.

There has been some skepticism regarding these recent results. Other studies conducted have shown no such connection between bilingual status and cognitive improvement. Experts caution that the tests used to gather this data were too limited in scope and could not produce a clear enough picture as to the cognitive development that occurs during the process of acquiring a second language.

Researchers involved in this study are already setting their sights on bigger, more inclusive studies and their optimism is focused on finding even stronger links between cognitive functioning and bilingualism even later in life.