How Learning a Language Changes Your Brain

Picking up a new language — at any age — creates new pathways that could also make you a better person and may even help stave off dementia.

By Avery Hurt
May 5, 2021 2:00 PM
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(Credit: ra2 studio/Shutterstock)

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If you’ve ever learned a new language — or tried to — you know how difficult it can be. Native languages seem almost built in. We soak them up naturally when we’re very young. But learning a new language, especially after early childhood, can be a huge task, burdened by long vocabulary lists and genders to memorize, complex cases and troublesome tenses to master. 

Of course it’s worth the effort. Obviously in today’s interconnected world, learning a new language can change your life. It will certainly change your brain. 

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