Our brain, like all our organs, becomes less efficient with time . Cognitive abilities that help integrate new information, memorize or even keep our orientation in space and in time tend to naturally decline: some omissions, difficulties to remember or concentrate can occur more frequently.
However, the brain is a very special organ because lifelong learning influences its development and structuring. That’s why bilingual people will have the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease around four years later than people who speak only one language, as proven by recent studies. The ability to speak and use two languages develops connections between different areas of the brain, which can actually be observed by medical imaging. These connections allow bilingual people to better cope with cognitive decline.
You see the paradox, a brain at rest is a brain that ages more quickly!
To boost your memory and your cognitive abilities, nothing is better than to shake up your habits, to exercise your curiosity, and why not, learn a foreign language.