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The common hobby that could reduce your risk of developing dementia
The Independent • • health
Key Points:
- A University of Cambridge review highlights that reading for pleasure benefits mental wellbeing, educational outcomes, empathy, and reduces dementia risk, regardless of reading material.
- Early recreational reading in children enhances memory, concentration, problem-solving, academic performance, mental health, sleep quality, and reduces screen time.
- Reading in adults is linked to reduced stress, greater empathy, improved wellbeing, decreased loneliness, and slower cognitive decline, with brain imaging showing positive effects on executive control and emotional regulation.
- Book clubs and shared reading groups offer social interaction benefits, particularly for older adults, helping reduce isolation and dementia risk.
- Despite these benefits, reading levels among children and teenagers are at historic lows, especially in disadvantaged groups, with recent studies showing declining reading skills internationally.
