Language processing can decline with age, but working out proves effective for enhancing various cognitive abilities. There is a correlation between exercise and improved language skills.
A study from the University of Agder in Norway and the University of Birmingham in the UK, uncovered a link between increased fitness levels and better language processing abilities. As one age, regions of the brain responsible for memory begin to deteriorate, but staying physically active is one way to preserve language comprehension.
Correlation
The study observed that in older adults, their language comprehension skills increased with exercise. The researchers examined these older adults by putting them in a six-month home-based exercise program. They had to do circuit training or cardio, which included a variety of exercises like uphill walking, jogging, and running, completed two or three times every week. All these exercises gradually increased their fitness levels and helped them better understand language, recognizing words and their meanings and replying more quickly.
As the study participants completed the six-month program, they showed a seven percent improvement in their ability to identify the correct words. This improvement suggests that increasing fitness has a positive effect on the brain’s language-processing capabilities. It is especially beneficial for ageing adults, as cognitive functions like language processing tend to decline with age.
Not for bilinguals
As their fitness levels increased, the older adults who were monolinguals could quickly understand words and respond more adeptly. However, this effect was only seen in monolinguals, not in bilinguals (people who speak two or more languages). This is because bilingual people's brains are already engaged in the complex task of juggling between two languages, so exercise does not enhance the benefits in the same way.
Source: Hindustan Times
Bd-pratidin English/Fariha Nowshin Chinika
