In the article Reading at 16 linked to better job prospects says that students who read where shown to have a 10% greater chance or having a career at age 33. It also states that if these same students where to play an instrument they would be twice as likely to have a career at 33. Their data also shows that if a student only plays video games then they are a third less likely to succeed. In conclusion if you are into the arts and or reading you have a better chance to have a career later in life.
I believe that reading and playing an instrument makes the mind stay sharp and allows for the imagination to grow. When a student uses their imagination they are capable of anything. I also feel that the students who are reading for pleasure at 16 already have their head on straight, and will attend college and go onto a career later in life. What reading does do for students is it allows them to relate the material to everyday life. This gives students a deeper understanding of what is going on around them and how it relates to them. So the question is, does reading for pleasure at 16 help you later in life, yes.
New and exciting work in cognitive science shows that playing music, especially jazz and other forms of improv, deactivate the parts of the prefrontal cortex associated with subjective self-awareness. "Losing oneself" in fiction has the same affect:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.shockmd.com/2010/01/25/the-neuroscience-of-jazz/