DRS. OZ AND ROIZEN: Learning new words adds gray matter
Syndicated columns By Syndicated columns The Oregonian Follow on
Twitter on May 09, 2012 at 5:00 AM  "Michelle, ma belle." Or do
you prefer, "Besame Mucho"? We all know a few words in a foreign
language, and more than 43 percent of Americans ages 18 to 29
can have a conversation in at least two languages! But what
about the millions of North Americans who speak only one? Good
news! No matter what your calendar age, you can harness the
power of language to develop and expand your brain. And that
makes your RealAge younger -- much younger. Learning new words
adds gray matter, as a matter of fact. (Your brain doesn't have
to shrink with age.) And adults actually are better at learning
new languages than kids, if you can put aside linguistic habits
(the brain gets trained to ignore sounds that it doesn't need
for comprehension) and embrace the nonsensical. That's how kids
learn; they associate sounds with objects, then recognize sounds
and words as labels,