Kids who read for pleasure 12 hours per week perform better on cognitive tests and have better mental health, according to a recently published study in Psychological Medicine.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University looked at data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a long-running project that tracks brain development and child health in the United States.
The team analyzed clinical interviews, cognitive tests, mental and behavioral assessments and brain scans from 10,000 adolescents in the United States.
It then compared those who began reading for pleasure between ages two and nine to those who began reading later in life, or not at all.
Those who started read recreationally at an early age had better verbal learning, memory, speech development, and academic achievement than their peers who weren't picking up books for fun.
Organizations:
Psychological Medicine, University of Cambridge, Fudan University
Locations:
United States