We all know the benefits of reading books. A new research found that growing up surrounded by books can significantly impact a child's economic status when he/she reach adulthood.
Giorgio Brunello, Guglielmo Weber and Christoph Weiss, three economists from the University of Padua in Italy, said children with easy access to books tend to have higher incomes when they become adults than their counterparts who grow up with few or no books by their side. The trio's research, which was published in the Economic Journal, focused on the period between 1920 and 1956, and examined 6,000 men born in nine countries in Europe, the Guardian reported.
Men who grew up in households filled with books earn 21 percent more, according to the study. Those surrounded with less than a shelf of books earn 5 percent more, in contrast. Men who read plenty of books during their childhood also tend to have white-collar positions as their first job.
Reasons Why
Several factors should be considered as to why children surrounded with many books have higher incomes when they enter the workforce. According to the economists, books encourage kids to read more and can positively impact a child's academic performance. In addition, a house filled with books and other reading materials indicate that a family has good socio-economic conditions.
The presence of books in a home can also determine a child's cognitive test scores. Books encourage socio-emotional and cognitive skills, which may explain why kids who read frequently have higher chances of economically succeeding in life.
The economic benefit of children surrounded with plenty of books is good news given that fewer kids are reading now thanks to the rise of smartphones and gadgets. A recent report from the Telegraph said parents and teachers sometimes have to resort to bribery to encourage children to read more.
Young People Buy Books To Express Themselves
There's an ongoing stereotype that young people are only engrossed on the internet and social media. A new research, however, found that the youth are looking towards reading books again to express themselves.
Siôn Hamilton, the trading director for Foyles Bookstore, said more young people are paying bookstores a visit to purchase books. Hamilton said plenty of teenagers are buying books but don't actually read them, and instead use the books to express their personality. Ultimately, someone will come over their home, spot the book and form judgments about a person's persona, the Telegraph wrote.
Hamilton doesn't think this new practice is a problem. For him, there will come a time when teens will pick up the book they bought for show and finally read it.
