Why we should all be 'bookmaxxing'

Every year, reading rates among children and young people hit their lowest levels since record-keeping began, according to Christelle Langley, an assistant professor at Cambridge University. Langley co-authored a new review in the journal Psychological Medicine that compiles what the science actually says about what happens when we read for fun—and what we lose when we stop. The review covers two age groups: young people and older adults, and the findings are specific enough to go well beyond the familiar "reading is good for you" platitude.

What reading for pleasure does to young brains

One study in the review tracked more than 10,000 young people in the U.S. and found that those who started reading for fun early and kept at it through adolescence scored higher on cognitive tests measuring verbal learning, memory, and speech development. They also had better mental health and sleeping habits than their non-reading peers. The researchers controlled for socioeconomic background, so the benefits appear to be tied to the reading itself, not just correlated with privilege. Langley emphasized that "reading for fun" is the key variable—graphic novels, newspapers, and romance novels all count, as long as the reader is choosing the material for satisfaction rather than obligation.

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