Reading for pleasure is linked to better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia, Cambridge University scientists said on Tuesday.
Some of the strongest evidence of the benefits of reading for pleasure comes from a study by Sahakian, Langley and colleagues of more than 10,000 young people, which found that children who began reading for pleasure in life showed benefits including: better attention, memory, and executive functioning, greater academic achievement, fewer mental health problems, and healthier lifestyles, including more sleep and less screen time.
In a review published in ‘ Psychological Medicine’, Professor Barbara Sahakian and Christelle Langley said reading for enjoyment can bring huge benefits and reading with others, whether it’s as part of a book club or a parent reading with their children, can bring even greater rewards. Langley said: “Given how beneficial reading for pleasure is at a young age, we should be doing everything we can to introduce children and young people to reading.
