One week of learning a new language can boost your mental skills suggests a new research adding that benefits could also be maintained with regular practice. Tests carried out on students of all ages revealed that acquiring a new language improves a person's attention in just a week. Improvements in attention were found in both groups participating in intensive courses after a week but only those learning a second language were significantly better than those not involved in any courses. (Read: Study says elderly who use hearing aids have better cognitive function) Also the improvement was found for all ages