Reading in the Childhood Improves Adolescent Well-Being

A study of over 10,000 young adolescents in the United States discovered that children who begin reading for enjoyment early in life score better on cognitive tests and have better mental health when they enter adolescence.

In a study published today in Psychological Medicine, researchers from the United Kingdom and China discovered that 12 hours of reading per week was the best amount, and that this was associated with improved brain structure, which may help explain the findings.

Reading for enjoyment can be a valuable and pleasurable childhood pastime. Reading, unlike listening and spoken language, which develop quickly and effortlessly in young children, is a taught skill that is gained and developed through time through intentional instruction.

Our brains expand during childhood and adolescence, making this an essential time to create practices that support cognitive development and promote excellent brain health. However, it has been unknown until now what effect, if any, encouraging children to read from a young age will have on their brain development, cognition, and mental health later in life.

Researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Warwick in the United Kingdom, as well as Fudan University in China, examined data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort in the United States, which recruited over 10,000 early adolescents.

The researchers compared young people who started reading for pleasure at a young age (between two and nine years old) to those who started later or not at all, using data from clinical interviews, cognitive tests, mental and behavioral assessments, and brain scans. Many relevant characteristics, including socioeconomic status, were taken into account in the analysis.

Just under half (48%) of the 10,243 participants investigated had little or no experience with reading for enjoyment or did not begin doing so until later in childhood. The other half had spent three to 10 years reading for enjoyment.

The researchers discovered a robust correlation between reading for pleasure at a young age and positive adolescent performance on cognitive tests that examined language learning, memory, and speech development, as well as academic ability at school.

These kids also had superior mental health, as measured by a variety of clinical scores and reports from parents and teachers, with fewer indicators of stress and sadness, better concentration, and fewer behavioral issues like aggression and rule-breaking.

Children who began reading for pleasure earlier in adolescence tended to spend less screen time (for example, watching TV or using their smartphone or tablet) during the week and on weekends, and they also slept longer.

When the researchers examined brain scans from the adolescent cohort, they discovered that those who began reading for pleasure at a young age had moderately larger total brain areas and volumes, including in specific brain regions involved in cognitive functions. Other brain regions that differed within this group included those previously linked to enhanced mental health, conduct, and attention.

Professor Barbara Sahakian from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge said, “Reading isn’t just a pleasurable experience—it’s widely accepted that it inspires thinking and creativity, increases empathy and reduces stress. But on top of this, we found significant evidence that it’s linked to important developmental factors in children, improving their cognition, mental health, and brain structure, which are cornerstones for future learning and well-being.”

As a young child, the ideal amount of reading for enjoyment was roughly 12 hours per week. There appeared to be no further advantages. In fact, there was a progressive decline in cognition, which the researchers believe is due to increased time spent inactive and less time spent on other activities that could be cognitively enriching, such as sports and social activities.

Professor Jianfeng Feng from Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and the University of Warwick, U.K., said, “We encourage parents to do their best to awaken the joy of reading in their children at an early age. Done right, this will not only give them pleasure and enjoyment, but will also help their development and encourage long-term reading habits, which may also prove beneficial into adult life.”

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