The September/October 2011 issue of Spirituality & Heath reported:
Fewer books, more music means rising
depression in teens. Can reading more books prevent depression in young people?
A University of Pittsburg School of Medicine study suggests just that.
Adolescents who spend more time reading are much less likely to have depressive
disorders than their peers.
Especially those peers who choose to listen to lots
of music...
The researchers found that young people who were exposed to
the most music were 8.3 times more likely to be depressed than those who
listened to music the least.
In contrast, the ones who read books the most were
only one-tenth as likely to be depressed.
The research
was inconclusive about the impact of different types of music, whether
depressed young people tend to listen to more music or if the music causes more
depression.
The researchers stress, however, that "reading books was clearly
associated with a decreased likelihood of developing depression."
Hey - and besides, it's fun, educational and bonding. So if you needed a list of reasons, or maybe permission, here's your sign:
GO READ A BOOK.
~Oliver and Rachel DeMille, TJEd.org
