LONDON: Learning a new language for even a short period of time may aid mental agility and have linguistic, cognitive and social benefits, a new study has claimed.

Tests carried out on students of all ages suggests that acquiring a new language improves a person's attention, after only a week of study, according to researchers from University of Edinburgh in the UK.

They also found that these benefits could be maintained with regular practice.

Researchers assessed different aspects of mental alertness in a group of 33 students aged 18 to 78 years who had taken part in a one-week Scottish Gaelic course.

They tracked people's attention levels with a series of listening tests including the ability to concentrate on certain sounds and switch the attention to filter relevant information.

Researchers compared the results with those of people who had completed a one week course - but not involving learning a new language - and with a group who had not completed any course.

After one week, improvements in attention were found in both groups participating in intensive courses, but only those learning a second language were significantly better than those not involved in any courses, researchers said.

This improvement was found for all ages, from 18 to 78 years, which demonstrates the benefits of language learning also in later life, they said.

Nine months after the initial course all those who had practised five hours or more per week improved from their baseline performance, researchers said.

This shows the mental skills gained from language learning can be maintained if speakers practise continuously, they said.

"I think there are three important messages from our study - firstly, it is never too late to start a novel mental activity such as learning a new language," said Thomas Bak from University of Edinburgh.

"Secondly, even a short intensive course can show beneficial effects on some cognitive functions. Thirdly, this effect can be maintained through practice," said Bak.

A short course language study has a threefold benefit - linguistic, cognitive and social, according to Boyd Robertson from University of Edinburgh.

The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.

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