This Skill Fights Off Alzheimer’s
And why you need to get your kids started early
Ric Edelman: It's Wednesday, May 17th. I know what you want to do. You want to avoid dementia? Kind of a silly question. Silly statement. All of us feel the same way. Want to avoid it, though? Here's a way you can do it. Although I don't think you're going to like what I'm about to tell you. You can speak a second language. According to a new study, those who speak a second language are less likely to have or develop Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Now, why did I say a moment ago that I don't think you're going to like hearing this? It's because the key, according to this study, is that you need to be bilingual from an early age. In other words, if you don't learn a second language in childhood, learning it later in life doesn't seem to have much of an effect on your ability to ward off dementia. Sorry about that.
Researchers in Germany studied hundreds of retirees and they found that those who used two languages every day and have done so, since youth score better on memory tests than people who speak just one language. And bilingual people who do get Alzheimer's, get it at a later age. Now, like I said, that's not really doing you any good because of your current age and you already only speak one language. This means you need to talk to your grandchildren and in another language, get your young family members to become bilingual.
It's not only going to help them become more aware of the world around them and different cultures. It will help them avoid Alzheimer's disease when they're your age. And there are other benefits to being bilingual as well. Neuroscientists say that people who can switch between two languages are better able to multitask, manage their emotions and maintain self-control. We all know of the horrors of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and we also know that the longer we live, the more likely we are going to develop symptoms of these diseases. We need to do everything that we can to ward this off until medical innovations provide a secure or a vaccine. So let's consider becoming bilingual and let's talk with our families about that as well.
You know, one of the favorite things for me to do when hosting this podcast is connecting with you. And that's why I'm on Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn and Instagram and YouTube. My community has more than 100,000 followers across all my social media pages. I'm really excited that we've grown together over the years and I'm really looking forward to what's coming next. If you haven't already joined, check out my social media pages. The links are in today's show notes. Share your thoughts and questions and your feedback With me. I'm Ric Edelman. See you tomorrow.
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