(ANSA) – ROME, JUNE 28 – Reading for pleasure from an early age is good for mental health and cognitive performance in adolescence: a study conducted by experts from the universities of Cambridge and Warwick shows that children who start reading for pleasure from an early age young children tend to perform better on cognitive tests and enjoy better mental health as they enter adolescence. Published in the journal Psychological Medicine, the study involved more than 10,000 young teenagers.
Additionally, the researchers found that 12 hours a week was the optimal amount of reading, and that this healthy habit is linked to better brain structure.
The team analyzed a wide range of data, including cognitive tests, mental and behavioral assessments and brain scans, comparing young people who started reading for pleasure at a relatively early age with those who started later than age nine. or who don’t read at all. The analyzes controlled for many factors, including socioeconomic status. Half of the sample had spent between three and ten years reading for pleasure. The team found a strong link between early recreational reading and good performance in adolescence on cognitive tests measuring factors such as verbal learning, memory and language development, as well as in academic achievement. Young readers also exhibited better mental well-being as adolescents, as measured by a range of clinical scores and reports from parents and teachers, showing fewer signs of stress and depression, as well as better attention and fewer behavioral problems such as ‘aggression. Children who started reading for pleasure earlier also tend to spend less time in front of screens – TVs, smartphones or tablets – and sleep longer during adolescence. “Reading is linked to important developmental factors in children, improving their cognition, mental health and brain structure, which are cornerstones for future learning and well-being,” concludes lead author Barbara Sahakian of the study. University of Cambridge. (HANDLE).
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