Growing Up Surrounded by Books Could Have Powerful, Lasting Effect on the Mind
This
new study from the Australian National University School of Sociology found that people who grew up in book-filled homes have higher reading, math, and technological skills.
The researchers analyzed data that was taken from surveys between 2011 and 2015. The data featured 160,000 adults (ages 25 to 65) across 31 nations, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Singapore, and Turkey.
Literacy was defined as “the ability to read effectively to participate in society and achieve personal goals.” Participants took tests that “captured a range of basic through advanced comprehension skills, from reading brief texts for a single piece of information to synthesizing information from complex texts.”
My parents read all the time and in their last house they had a large room with floor to ceiling built-in shelves, filled with books. My brother reads. My sister-in-law was never much of a reader but does more now. Their daughter loves to read.