Early childhood reading linked to improved cognitive performance and mental wellbeing in adolescence

The team analyzed a wide range of data including clinical interviews, cognitive tests, mental and behavioral assessments, and brain scans, comparing young people who began reading for pleasure at a relatively early age (between two and nine years old) against those who began doing so later or not at all. The analyses controlled for many important factors, including socioeconomic status.

The team found a strong link between reading for pleasure at an early age and a positive performance in adolescence on cognitive tests that measured such factors as verbal learning, memory, speech development, and at-school academic achievement.

These children also had better mental well-being, showing fewer signs of stress and depression, as well as improved attention and fewer behavioral problems such as aggression and rule-breaking. Children who began reading for pleasure earlier also tended to spend less screen time and also tended to sleep longer.

Reference: Early-Initiated Childhood Reading for Pleasure: Associations with Better Cognitive Performance, Mental Well-being, and Brain Structure in Young Adolescence, Psychological Medicine, DOI 10.1017/S0033291723001381