Reading for pleasure - and for better health
Reading for pleasure - and for better health
Reading for pleasure – from tucking into a Jane Austen classic to devouring a Heartstopper graphic novel – is linked to better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia, say researchers.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have joined with The Queen’s Reading Room – the charity founded by Her Majesty The Queen – to highlight the benefits of reading for pleasure at any age as part of the National Year of Reading.
In 2025, Professor Barbara Sahakian and Dr Christelle Langley from the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge published Brain Boost: Healthy Habits for a Happier Life. It was while writing this book that they became aware of how widespread the benefits to reading for pleasure are – but also, how there was surprisingly little research in this area.
Today, in a review published in Psychological Medicine, Professor Sahakian and Dr Langley, together with Vicki Perrin, CEO of The Queen’s Reading Room, argue that it doesn’t matter what or how we read, reading for enjoyment can bring huge benefits – and reading with others, whether it’s as part of a book club or a parent reading with their children, can bring even greater rewards.
“Reading is a great way to support our brain health, develop important cognitive skills and boost our wellbeing. It’s something we ought to be encouraging from an early age, given the increasing evidence of its benefits, particularly to children, but really, it’s never too late to start, and it can bring benefits throughout our lives and into old age.”
Professor Barbara Sahakian
Reading among children and adolescents is at its lowest levels since records began, surveys have shown, particularly among adolescent boys and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. But even those who say they enjoy reading the least still recognise its educational value, with nearly half saying it helps them learn new words or new things.
Some of the strongest evidence of the benefits of reading for pleasure come from a study by Professor Sahakian, Dr Langley and colleagues of more than 10,000 young people, which found that children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including : better attention, memory, and executive functioning, greater academic achievement, fewer mental health problems, and healthier lifestyles, including more sleep and less screen time.
“Given how beneficial reading for pleasure is at a young age, we should be doing everything we can to introduce children and young people to reading. The important thing is to find something they really enjoy – it might be a TV programme or a game – and use this as a way in. Reading comics and graphic novels could also be a helpful introduction as they might be seen as less intimidating, maybe less boring, than novels.”
Dr Christelle Langley
Perhaps unsurprisingly, reading is strongly associated with improved literacy skills – but it is even linked to mathematical achievement, as reading and maths share similar cognitive processes such as language skills, memory, and executive function.
The benefits are not limited to children and young people. Surveys have suggested a multitude of benefits for adults, particularly related to wellbeing, including reduced stress and better relaxation, greater empathy and understanding of others, and a more tolerant attitude to different perspectives.
Reading has emerged as the most popular method for stress relief, with almost two in five adults (38%) choosing books as their ultimate way to unwind. A neuroscience study commissioned by The Queen’s Reading Room in 2024 found that just five minutes of fiction can reduce stress by up to 20%, as well as boosting concentration and problem-solving skills and helping readers feel less lonely. One survey even found that more people turned to books for comfort (35%) than to wine (31%) or a hot bath (10%).
The benefits can be particularly important later in life. Leisure activities that stimulate the brain – particularly reading – are linked to slower cognitive decline and a reduced risk of dementia in older adults. For example, in a study of almost 5,500 adults aged 55 years and older, individuals who frequently engaged in activities including reading were significantly less likely to develop cognitive impairment over a five-year follow-up period. Another study found that reading newspapers, magazines, and books was associated with a 33% reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
So, why is reading for pleasure so beneficial? Brain imaging studies show a link between reading and differences in brain structure, including: larger volumes and cortical areas in brain regions involved in language, learning, emotional regulation, and executive control; stronger white matter connectivity supporting language processing; and increased cortical thickness in key language-related brain areas.
While most studies only show associations, evidence is emerging of a causal link. Structural brain changes have been shown to follow reading interventions. For example, a small study of 11 children with dyslexia aged 7–11 found that an eight-week training programme focused on mental imagery, articulation, and tracing of letters, letter groups, and words significantly improved reading skills – and these improvements were accompanied by increases in grey matter volume in key brain regions.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, reading is strongly associated with improved literacy skills – but it is even linked to mathematical achievement, as reading and maths share similar cognitive processes such as language skills, memory, and executive function.
The benefits are not limited to children and young people. Surveys have suggested a multitude of benefits for adults, particularly related to wellbeing, including reduced stress and better relaxation, greater empathy and understanding of others, and a more tolerant attitude to different perspectives.
Reading has emerged as the most popular method for stress relief, with almost two in five adults (38%) choosing books as their ultimate way to unwind. A neuroscience study commissioned by The Queen’s Reading Room in 2024 found that just five minutes of fiction can reduce stress by up to 20%, as well as boosting concentration and problem-solving skills and helping readers feel less lonely. One survey even found that more people turned to books for comfort (35%) than to wine (31%) or a hot bath (10%).
The benefits can be particularly important later in life. Leisure activities that stimulate the brain – particularly reading – are linked to slower cognitive decline and a reduced risk of dementia in older adults. For example, in a study of almost 5,500 adults aged 55 years and older, individuals who frequently engaged in activities including reading were significantly less likely to develop cognitive impairment over a five-year follow-up period. Another study found that reading newspapers, magazines, and books was associated with a 33% reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
So, why is reading for pleasure so beneficial? Brain imaging studies show a link between reading and differences in brain structure, including: larger volumes and cortical areas in brain regions involved in language, learning, emotional regulation, and executive control; stronger white matter connectivity supporting language processing; and increased cortical thickness in key language-related brain areas.
While most studies only show associations, evidence is emerging of a causal link. Structural brain changes have been shown to follow reading interventions. For example, a small study of 11 children with dyslexia aged 7–11 found that an eight-week training programme focused on mental imagery, articulation, and tracing of letters, letter groups, and words significantly improved reading skills – and these improvements were accompanied by increases in grey matter volume in key brain regions.
Her Majesty Queen Camilla (Credit: Hugo Burnand)
Her Majesty Queen Camilla (Credit: Hugo Burnand)
The Queen’s Reading Room was first launched on social media in January 2021 as a way of sharing book recommendations and connecting readers during lockdown and has since grown into a global movement of more than 12 million people in 184 countries. The charity works to restore reading to the heart of daily life, through its flagship festival and neuroscientific study, and works in homeless shelters and domestic violence refuges where it uses shared reading as a therapeutic tool in recovery. This social connection can be important to our mental and physical wellbeing, particularly later in life.
“Shared reading groups and book clubs appear to provide additional benefits through social interaction. They can help people feel less isolated and more connected to others, which has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia.
“While these clubs can be fun and beneficial at any age, they’re perfect for older people who may be not so mobile – they might not be able to go out as an exercise group or a cycling group, but a reading group is something most people can enjoy.”
Professor Barbara Sahakian
“At The Queen’s Reading Room, we have seen first-hand the transformative power of individual and shared reading to change lives. Books truly do make life better, and we’re excited to do our bit to help everyone, everywhere, make more room for reading.”
Vicki Perrin
Our favourite novels
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The book that I go back to is the Jane Austen classic, Pride and Prejudice. I first read it when I was in school, and I still find it fascinating for the author's insights into the social and emotional cognition of her characters.
Jane Austen would have been a great psychologist, as her theory of mind - understanding what the other person is thinking - and her observations on the characters' motivations are brilliant!
Pride and Prejudice is also very funny in places, so it is wonderfully enjoyable and a great way to de-stress.
Professor Barbara Sahakian, Department of Psychiatry
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
My favourite novel is The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. It is a fantasy story about a magical world called Narnia, which is full of talking animals, mythical creatures and exciting adventures. The story follows four children who discover Narnia by going through a wardrobe. They soon become part of an important battle between good and evil.
One of my favourite things about the novel is the world-building. CS Lewis creates Narnia in so much detail that it feels like a real place. He describes the forests, snowy landscapes, castles and rivers so vividly that I can easily picture them in my head. His descriptive imagery makes the world feel magical and helps me imagine what it would be like to actually be there.
I also like the characters and the lessons they learn about friendship, courage, forgiveness and doing the right thing.
Overall, I love The Chronicles of Narnia because it combines an imaginative world with adventure, memorable characters and beautiful descriptions.
Dr Christelle Langley, Department of Psychiatry
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
For a book that could be picked up and loved by anyone, I’d have to recommend Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It tells the story of a young, inexperienced woman who marries the wealthy widower Maxim de Winter and moves to his beautiful Cornish estate, Manderley. After arriving at this idyllic but imposing house, our protagonist almost immediately finds herself living in the shadow of Maxim’s late first wife, Rebecca. Her presence is everywhere, impossible to escape.
The novel begins with Manderley in ruins, before taking us back through the events that led to its downfall. We might know where we’re headed, but we desperately want to understand how we got there. The novel is tense, eerie – and so the pages turn themselves.
And then there is Manderley itself, so beautifully drawn and intricately described that you long to pack your bag, take the train to the Cornish coast and wander down the long and twisting drive. It is the perfect escape. Even the sight of the spooky Mrs Danvers, standing proudly on the huge stone steps, would fail to put me off.
Vicki Perrin, The Queen's Reading Room
Looking for Alaska by John Green
My favourite novel is Looking for Alaska by John Green. It’s a story about life, death, loss, and hope told through the eyes of a young adult, Miles Halter, who is obsessed with remembering people’s last words, particularly those of the French writer, Francois Rabelais, who said "I go to seek a great perhaps".
It’s a coming-of-age story where Miles encounters Alaska, a troubled yet exceptional peer with a much darker inner life who is looking for an answer to the famous last words of Simon Bolivar, "how will I ever get out of this labyrinth [of suffering]"? This question becomes the focus of the book and the second act tries to answer it through a tragic event.
The story blends a search for truth and meaning with the uncomfortable reality that sometimes all we can find in life is ambiguity. The book really resonated with me because I lost one of my best friends from my own young adult life under rather ambiguous circumstances, but it also just explores powerful themes about the nature of life. It was a New York Times bestseller but subsequently became the 4th most banned book in the US due to its explicit content and unironically has been deemed unsuitable for young people.
Professor Sander van der Linden, Department of Psychology
Possession by AS Byatt
One of my favourite novels is AS Byatt’s Possession, which won the Booker Prize in 1990. It tells the story of two young academics in the present day tracing the romance between two Victorian poets, using the clues hidden in the poets’ writing to help them identify the places that they went and the events that happened there.
It’s beautifully written, and both sets of relationships feel completely real and totally compelling - none of the characters are without obvious human flaws. I particularly like the way that the book weaves together descriptions of the physical landscape with the complex emotions that the characters are experiencing. Part of the story is set in the North York Moors, and I’ve just come back from a lovely few days walking there – the intricacy of the landscapes with a network of waterfalls and streams laced into the hills and valleys of the moors is beautifully described in the novel, and breathing them in for real made for a wonderful break!
Professor Beverley Glover, Cambridge University Botanic Garden
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
My favourite novel is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Since I read it, it continues to stand out in my mind as the best work of art I have encountered. This is more than a story of a fictitious town, it is a uniquely creative piece of magical realism that evokes a sense of nostalgia, and touches on themes, such as love and courage.
The story transports you to a place and space in which you have to let go of reality and instead, indulge your imagination in the impossible. As a reader, you are taken to a world in which science and magic are part of life; fact is interweaved with the extraordinary; and time is linear and cyclical. The language is beautiful and poetic; for example, a passage reads as follows: “No one knew for certain where the limits of reality lay. It was an intricate stew of truths and mirages…”
The book also contains strong characters, such as Ursula, a woman who keeps generations together. I remember a review for the book said that this novel should be required reading for all humanity.
Dr Olivia Remes, Department of Engineering
Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
I read books that give me a new perspective, whether that's through non-fiction, or fiction that glimpses into someone else's life. I particularly like honest and personal stories such as Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams (relationships/loss), A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux (self-acceptance), and A Confession by Leo Tolstoy (meaning/morality).
In terms of a favourite book, if I had to call it that, I've probably read Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman (passion/youth) the most times. Like all books by Aciman, the writing is beautiful, the characters and their thoughts are inconceivably detailed - sometimes uncomfortably so - and evolve throughout the books.
I just read it again during Ferragosto in Italy (when the ending is set) and it feels so alive yet nostalgic at the same time: "We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty..".
Dr Miranda Robbins, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Master and Margarita has been my favourite novel for more than 20 years. For me, this book is everything I need/want in a novel. A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a drama, a political statement, a spy thriller…and I am sure I forgot something else! The two settings (Moscow in the 1930s and Jerusalem in Pilate’s time) are as distant as they can be from each other, and yet, they are brought together by, guess who?...But the devil, of course!
The main reason I consider this my favourite novel is not that it is an extremely well written great story (although, obviously, it helps); it’s the fact that it makes me a better person. Every time I read it (and I have read it at least 8 times in different languages), it triggers a great variety of emotions, from surprise to despair, via happiness, loneliness, love, horror, and many more. Feeling these emotions is extremely rewarding.
Books are like the people in your life: most are just passing by, some are nice, very few are friends, and only one is your best friend, the one that make you feel like your life would be miserable without them. That’s what the Master and Margherita is for me.
Dr Mattia Maroso, Clare Hall
Reference
Sahakian, BJ, Perrin, V & Langley, C. Reading and associations with brain health, cognition, wellbeing and mental health. Psychological Medicine; 15 Sept 2026; DOI: 10.1017/S0033291726105625
Images
Illustrations by Malte Mueller