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<td><span style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:20px;font-weight:bold;">PsyPost – Psychology News</span></td>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/reading-fiction-fights-loneliness-and-builds-a-healthier-brain/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Reading fiction fights loneliness and builds a healthier brain</a>
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<p><p>Loneliness has become such a widespread problem that Silicon Valley billionaires are now highlighting it to market AI companions, with Mark Zuckerberg recently <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/zuckerberg-ai-loneliness-chatbot-llama-b2743409.html">stating</a> “the average American has fewer than three friends”.</p>
<p>This actually echoes what the World Health Organization has called a crisis of social isolation and loneliness. They report that around 25% of older adults <a href="https://www.who.int/groups/commission-on-social-connection#:~:text=Current%20global%20estimates%20suggest%20that,than%20in%20high-income%20countries.">are socially isolated</a> and 5%-15% of adolescents are lonely. But a variety of research – including our own – suggests reading may be a much better solution than chatbots.</p>
<p>Human interaction is no doubt hugely important. In a study we published in 2023, we found that it only takes around five close friends <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/84072">for children and adolescents to thrive</a>, giving them better brain structure, cognition, academic performance and mental health.</p>
<p>Having fewer than five close friends may not provide enough social contact. But larger numbers are less likely to be close friends. The dilemma of technology frequently means that despite some people having vast numbers of friends on social media, they are not close friends and so do not provide the social support needed.</p>
<p>Similarly, chatbots may not provide the type of face-to-face social interaction that people need to flourish. During the pandemic lockdowns, a study found that face-to-face communication was <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10191089/">far more beneficial</a> for mental health than digital communication.</p>
<p>But how can reading help us to feel less lonely and have better wellbeing?</p>
<p>A <a href="https://thequeensreadingroom.co.uk/the-queens-reading-room-study/">recent survey</a> from The Queen’s Reading Room, the charity and book club of Queen Camilla, and other surveys, have found that reading fiction and other books <a href="https://www.thereader.org.uk/reading-wellbeing/">significantly reduces feelings of loneliness</a> and <a href="https://www.letterpressproject.co.uk/media/file/The_Benefits_of_Reading_for_Pleasure.pdf">improves wellbeing</a>.</p>
<p>Another charity, The Reader, <a href="https://www.thereader.org.uk/reading-wellbeing/">conducted a survey</a> of approximately 2,000 participants and found that this was especially true among young adults. Fifty-nine percent of those aged 18-34 said reading made them feel more connected to others and 56% felt less alone during the pandemic.</p>
<p>Another survey, in conjunction with the University of Liverpool, of over 4,000 participants found that reading offers powerful benefits, serving as a top method for reducing stress. In addition, participants reported that reading encouraged personal growth, such as improving health, picking up hobbies and boosting empathy, with 64% of readers <a href="https://www.letterpressproject.co.uk/media/file/The_Benefits_of_Reading_for_Pleasure.pdf">having a better understanding others’ feelings</a>.</p>
<h2>Reading and the brain</h2>
<p>Indeed, scientific research looking at book clubs and shared reading back this up, finding <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38316632/">notable emotional and social benefits</a> of reading. For example, students reported greater connection (42.9%) to others, deeper understanding of others’ experiences and beliefs (61.2%) and reduced loneliness (14.3%) as a result of reading.</p>
<p>The surveys above all rely on people reporting how they feel, rather than an objective measure. But there are also findings from objective measures of the brain, including neuroimaging. A systematic review of 11 intervention studies showed that shared reading among older adults <a href="https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/40/2/daaf036/8110077?login=false">improved wellbeing</a> and helped alleviate loneliness and social isolation.</p>
<p>One way in which reading may help reduce loneliness is by enhancing our social cognition, which is the ability to understand and connect with others.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/11/2/215/2375122">neuroimaging study</a> of young adults found that reading fiction, particularly passages with social content, activated areas of the brain involved in social behaviour and emotional understanding, such as the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. This brain region was also linked to the stronger social cognition seen in frequent fiction readers, suggesting a neural pathway through which reading fosters greater social connectedness.</p>
<p>Importantly, reading may also reduce the risk of dementia. One study of 469 people aged 75 and over, with no dementia at baseline, were followed up for 5.1 years. Among leisure activities such as playing board games, playing musical instruments and dancing, reading was associated <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12815136/">with a 35% reduced risk of dementia</a>.</p>
<p>A number of studies have similarly shown that engaging in cognitively stimulating activities, such as reading, <a href="https://www.neurology.org/doi/abs/10.1212/01.wnl.0000192165.99963.2a?casa_token=Ihv-keCL5qcAAAAA%3AuPNBvFyPFqvcxqrGrC3dwdbh-qZGPWIEGh6yxq9WVMekTDULJx-_N3u4WxYMOlvUCKT7VSwP5oFTndLL">can slow cognitive decline</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11851541/">reduce the risk of dementia</a>.</p>
<p>Our own research also showed the benefits of reading for pleasure early in life. In a large sample of over 10,000 children in the <a href="https://abcdstudy.org/about/">Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study</a>, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/earlyinitiated-childhood-reading-for-pleasure-associations-with-better-cognitive-performance-mental-wellbeing-and-brain-structure-in-young-adolescence/03FB342223A3896DB8C39F171659AE33">we found that</a> those children who read for pleasure early in life had better brain structure, cognition, academic achievement, longer sleep duration and better mental health – including lower symptoms of inattention, stress and depression – when adolescents. Importantly, they also had less screen time and better social interactions.</p>
<p>So, while AI and chatbots can enhance our lives in many ways, they are not a solution to everything. We know that while technology has many benefits, it has also produced many unforeseen problems. Let’s solve problems of loneliness and social isolation through reading and book clubs. Reading is also a great way to improve brain structure, cognition and wellbeing.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/256613/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1"><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
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<p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/forget-chatbots-research-suggests-reading-can-help-combat-loneliness-and-boost-the-brain-256613">original article</a>.</em></p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/youth-with-psychopathic-traits-at-increased-risk-of-dying-young-study-finds/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Youth with psychopathic traits at increased risk of dying young, study finds</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Jun 24th 2025, 08:00</div>
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<p><p>Young people who score high on psychopathic personality traits may be at a significantly elevated risk of dying prematurely, according to new research published in <em><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10802-024-01233-6" target="_blank">Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology</a></em>. In a long-term follow-up of incarcerated adolescents, those with the highest levels of psychopathic traits were far more likely to die before age 35 than their lower-scoring peers. This heightened risk was not explained by other behavioral disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, or substance use problems.</p>
<p>Psychopathy refers to a pattern of personality traits that includes superficial charm, manipulativeness, lack of empathy, impulsivity, and chronic rule-breaking behavior. These traits are often associated with criminal behavior and difficulty forming healthy interpersonal relationships. In adolescents, psychopathic traits can be measured using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV), which captures two main dimensions—interpersonal/affective features (such as shallow emotions and deceitfulness) and behavioral/antisocial tendencies (such as impulsivity and early criminal activity).</p>
<p>The researchers undertook this study because adolescent mortality rates have been climbing in recent years, particularly from violent and accidental causes. Past studies have linked certain psychiatric diagnoses in youth—such as conduct disorder and substance use disorders—to increased risk of dying young. However, little was known about whether psychopathic traits, as a distinct psychological profile, also predict early mortality. Given the severity and stability of these traits over time, the researchers aimed to understand whether they might pose an especially serious long-term health risk.</p>
<p>To answer this question, the study drew on data from 332 adolescents (mostly male) who had been incarcerated in a maximum-security juvenile facility in New Mexico between 2007 and 2011. Each participant underwent a detailed assessment of psychopathic traits using the PCL:YV, which involved both a structured interview and a review of institutional records. The average age at the time of assessment was just under 18 years.</p>
<p>The participants were tracked over a period of 10 to 14 years, during which the researchers attempted to determine who was still alive and who had died. Multiple sources were used to verify mortality status, including public records, social media, obituaries, and direct outreach to families or correctional institutions. By the end of the follow-up period, 33 individuals—nearly 10% of the sample—had died, a rate nearly ten times higher than the general population for that age group.</p>
<p>The study found that those who scored higher on the PCL:YV were significantly more likely to have died during the follow-up period. When using a common cutoff for high psychopathy (a total score of 30 or above), 18.3% of high scorers had died compared to just 8.1% of lower scorers. A similar pattern emerged when using a median split (scores of 24 and above), with 13.7% mortality among high scorers versus 6.1% for others. These differences were statistically significant.</p>
<p>Further analyses showed that specific components of psychopathy were linked to a faster time to death. In particular, higher scores on the behavioral and lifestyle dimensions—such as impulsivity and irresponsibility—were associated with a shorter time to mortality. Interestingly, higher scores on interpersonal traits, such as manipulativeness and superficial charm, also predicted faster death, though this effect was smaller.</p>
<p>In contrast, the study did not find strong evidence that other psychiatric conditions, such as ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, or conduct disorder, were independently associated with mortality in this group. While youth with substance use problems or oppositional defiant disorder showed slightly higher rates of premature death, the differences were not statistically significant. This suggests that psychopathic traits may capture a particularly high-risk subset of adolescents—beyond what is measured by traditional diagnoses.</p>
<p>The causes of death among those who died were varied but often related to violent or high-risk situations. These included homicide (frequently during the commission of a crime), suicide, and unintentional injury. Only one individual died while still incarcerated. The researchers note that these fatal outcomes align with the kind of reckless and dangerous behavior often associated with psychopathic tendencies, especially those related to impulsivity and a disregard for consequences.</p>
<p>One of the key takeaways from this study is that not all antisocial behaviors are the same when it comes to predicting long-term health outcomes. While conduct disorder and substance use problems are well-known risk factors for various negative life outcomes, psychopathic traits appear to offer unique predictive power when it comes to premature death. The researchers suggest that psychopathy assessments could help identify incarcerated youth who are at especially high risk and who may benefit from targeted interventions.</p>
<p>However, the study does come with several limitations. First, the sample was drawn exclusively from a high-security juvenile facility, meaning the findings may not generalize to other populations, including youth in the general community or those with milder behavioral problems. Second, the number of female participants was relatively small, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about gender differences. Third, the researchers conducted separate analyses for psychopathic traits and externalizing disorders, rather than examining their combined or interactive effects.</p>
<p>Another important limitation is that the data only covered a 10- to 14-year window. It remains to be seen whether psychopathic traits in adolescence continue to influence mortality risk later in adulthood, or whether other life experiences moderate this relationship over time. Future research might also investigate whether certain interventions—such as therapy focused on emotional regulation or impulse control—can mitigate the risks associated with high psychopathy scores.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-024-01233-6" target="_blank">Adolescents with Elevated Psychopathic Traits are Associated with an Increased Risk for Premature Mortality</a>,” was authored by J. Michael Maurer, Aparna R. Gullapalli, Michaela M. Milillo, Corey H. Allen, Samantha N. Rodriguez, Bethany G. Edwards, Nathaniel E. Anderson, Carla L. Harenski, and Kent A. Kiehl.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/critical-thinking-and-academic-achievement-reinforce-each-other-over-time-study-finds/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Critical thinking and academic achievement reinforce each other over time, study finds</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Jun 24th 2025, 06:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2025.102666" target="_blank">Learning and Individual Differences</a></em> has found that critical thinking skills and academic achievement influence each other in a bidirectional way during the upper elementary school years. This connection remained stable even after accounting for students’ general cognitive ability. The findings support the idea that teaching students to think critically and building their knowledge base can work hand in hand to support long-term academic development.</p>
<p>The study was motivated by a long-standing question in educational research: Does learning more help students become better thinkers, or does thinking more critically help them learn more? Most past research looked at this relationship using one-time data, which made it difficult to know how critical thinking and academic performance influence each other over time. </p>
<p>The researchers, based at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, wanted to examine this relationship more thoroughly by following the same students across several years. They were particularly interested in understanding how each factor predicts changes in the other and whether these links still exist when taking students’ general intelligence into account.</p>
<p>To answer these questions, the researchers tracked a group of 160 fourth-grade students from a public school in central China over three years, assessing them annually from fourth through sixth grade. All students were native Mandarin speakers without known developmental delays, and most had parents who completed high school or higher education. The researchers used a range of tools to measure students’ academic achievement, critical thinking skills, and general cognitive ability.</p>
<p>Academic achievement was assessed using final semester exam scores in Chinese and mathematics, which are considered core subjects in Chinese elementary education. These exams were standardized across schools in the same district, ensuring consistency and reliability. To measure critical thinking, students completed a Chinese version of the Cornell Critical Thinking Test Level X, which included 67 multiple-choice questions covering areas such as inductive and deductive reasoning, evaluating information sources, and identifying assumptions. The test used a story-based, engaging format in which students imagined themselves exploring a distant planet, helping to maintain attention and motivation.</p>
<p>General cognitive ability was measured using both traditional and computerized tests. These included two paper-based intelligence tests—the Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices and the Horn Intelligence Test—as well as three computerized tasks assessing different aspects of working memory. The visual-spatial memory task, the antisaccade task, and the dot-triangle task measured students’ ability to retain and manipulate information, control impulses, and shift between tasks.</p>
<p>To analyze the data, the researchers used a statistical technique called a random intercept cross-lagged panel model. This method allowed them to separate stable differences between individuals from changes that occurred within individuals over time. They could then examine whether fluctuations in critical thinking at one point in time predicted changes in academic achievement at a later time, and vice versa. Importantly, they also controlled for students’ age, gender, and general cognitive ability to make sure the relationships they observed weren’t just due to students being generally smarter or older.</p>
<p>The results showed that students who had higher academic achievement than expected for their own average performance also tended to show higher-than-expected growth in critical thinking skills at the next measurement point. The reverse was also true—students who scored higher than expected in critical thinking also tended to improve in their academic achievement over time. These patterns held even after controlling for general cognitive ability, suggesting that the two factors genuinely support each other in a meaningful way.</p>
<p>On average, students’ critical thinking skills increased over the three years, with the biggest gains seen between the fourth and fifth grades. Academic achievement was more stable, in part because the content being assessed changed with each grade level, making direct comparisons over time more difficult. Nevertheless, the consistent pattern of reciprocal influence between the two domains paints a picture of a developmental process where gains in one area help fuel growth in the other.</p>
<p>One key takeaway from the study is that the link between academic achievement and critical thinking is not just due to students being generally more intelligent. While general cognitive ability was linked to both academic performance and critical thinking—especially early in the study—it did not account for the dynamic relationship between them over time. This suggests that critical thinking plays a distinct role in learning, above and beyond general intellectual capacity.</p>
<p>The study adds weight to the idea that critical thinking is not just a generic skill that students either have or don’t have. Instead, it develops over time through engagement with specific academic content. The findings support the view that critical thinking draws on domain-specific knowledge and is strengthened through its use in real academic tasks. At the same time, critical thinking enhances learning by helping students analyze, evaluate, and reflect on what they are learning, leading to deeper understanding and more flexible application of knowledge.</p>
<p>This has important implications for how schools design curricula and teaching strategies. Traditionally, many education systems—especially in China—have focused heavily on knowledge transmission. But this research suggests that teaching students how to think critically can support their learning just as much as, if not more than, simply providing more content. Integrating critical thinking instruction into regular classroom activities and content areas could provide students with tools to better understand and apply what they learn, leading to a more productive cycle of academic growth.</p>
<p>While the study provides valuable insights, the authors acknowledge several limitations. The sample size was relatively small, with just 160 students, which may limit the generalizability of the results. Although the study followed students for three years, it only covered a specific developmental period (grades four to six), so it is unclear whether the findings would apply to younger children or adolescents. Additionally, the study relied on a single test to measure critical thinking, which may not capture all the different forms this ability can take. Finally, since the study was observational, it cannot prove that critical thinking directly causes better academic outcomes, even though the timing of changes suggests a strong relationship.</p>
<p>The authors suggest that future research could use larger and more diverse samples, include students across a wider age range, and employ experimental designs to more directly test the effects of critical thinking instruction. Despite these limitations, the findings contribute to a growing body of research showing that critical thinking and academic achievement are deeply intertwined.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2025.102666" target="_blank">The bidirectional relationship between critical thinking and academic achievement is independent of general cognitive ability: A three-year longitudinal study on elementary school children</a>,” was authored by Xiaojing Lv, Jiabi Zhou, and Xuezhu Ren.</p></p>
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<p><strong>Forwarded by:<br />
Michael Reeder LCPC<br />
Baltimore, MD</strong></p>
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