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

Children who begin reading for pleasure early in life tend to perform better at cognitive tests and have better mental health when they enter adolescence, a study of more than 10,000 young adolescents in the US has found.

The researchers in the UK and China found that 12 hours a week was the optimal amount of reading and that this was linked to improved brain structure, which may help explain the findings. During childhood and adolescence, our brains develop, making this an important time in which to establish behaviors that support our cognitive development and promote good brain health.

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