Enhancing knowledge and well-being through leisure reading to promote cognitive, emotional, and social benefits for overall personal growth
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58881/jlps.v5i1.73Keywords:
critical thinking, reading activity, cognitive development, analytical skills, Bloom's taxonomyAbstract
This study aims to explore the multifaceted benefits of reading during free time, focusing on its impact on knowledge acquisition, emotional well-being, and social development. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining surveys and focus groups across diverse age groups including adolescents and young adults. Data analysis revealed that leisure reading enhances vocabulary, literacy skills, and critical thinking while also providing relaxation, stress relief, and emotional support. Additionally, reading for pleasure fosters empathy, cultural competence, and ethical reflection, particularly among medical students and youth. The findings highlight the role of accessible resources such as public libraries in promoting leisure reading and suggest that early exposure to books encourages lifelong reading habits. The study concludes that leisure reading is a vital activity for intellectual growth and psychological health, recommending further longitudinal research to deepen understanding of its long-term effects.
References
Batini, F., Luperini, V., Cei, E., Izzo, D., & Toti, G. (2020). The Association Between Reading and Emotional Development: A Systematic Review. Journal of education and training studies, 9, 12. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v9i1.5053.
Bian, J., & Xiang, Z. (2023). Do the various leisure forms have equal effects on mental health? A longitudinal analysis of self-selected leisure activities. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1134854.
Bian, J., & Xiang, Z. (2023). Do the various leisure forms have equal effects on mental health? A longitudinal analysis of self- selected leisure activities. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1134854.
Chen, H., Lyu, D., & Zhu, L. (2025). The effectiveness of social-themed picture book reading in promoting children’s prosocial behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1569925.
Ciesielska, M., Kucirkova, N., & Thomson, J. (2025). How the Type and Context of Children's Storybook Reading Relate to Select Empathy Skills: A Meta-Analysis. Early Education and Development, 36, 1888 - 1914. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2025.2516989.
Cisco, C. (2025). Mental health, belonging, and books: The role of leisure reading in student success. Public Services Quarterly, 21, 220 - 225. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2025.2519013.
Hao, H., & Kim, M. (2024). Moderating role of depression in the association between leisure activity and cognitive function among the disabled older people. Frontiers in Public Health, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1345699.
Kim, M., Tsutsumimoto, K., Doi, T., Nakakubo, S., Kurita, S., Makizako, H., & Shimada, H. (2020). Relationships between cognitive leisure activities and cognitive function in older adults with depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 10. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-032679.
Laermans, J., Scheers, H., Vandekerckhove, P., & De Buck, E. (2020). PROTOCOL: Recreational book reading for promoting cognitive functioning and emotional well‐being in older adults: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 16. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1117.
Lenhart, J., Richter, T., Appel, M., & Mar, R. (2023). Adolescent leisure reading and its longitudinal association with prosocial behavior and social adjustment. Scientific Reports, 13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35346-7.
Levasseur, M., Dezutter, O., Nguyen, T., Babin, J., Bier, N., & Biron, M. (2024). Influence of Reading or Writing Activities Shared with Others on Older Adults: Results From a Scoping Study. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 44, 298 - 311. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648241274532.
Li, R., Wang, S., Chen, Z., Guo, J., & Wang, Y. (2025). Can leisure reading enhance college students' social emotional competencies: A large-scale empirical study. International Journal of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2025.102535.
Li, X., He, E., & Zhao, X. (2024). An empirical study of the effects of social-emotional competence on Chinese college students' interpersonal relationship circles from a relational theory perspective. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2024.100824.
Lin, J., Zhang, L., & Kuo, Y. (2024). The role of social–emotional competencies in interpersonal relationships: a structural equation modeling approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1360467.
Lin, Y., Peters, K., & Chen, I. (2022). Television watching, reading, cognition, depression and life satisfaction among middle-aged and older populations: A group-based trajectory modelling analysis of national data.. Health & social care in the community. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13993.
Milani, C., Biagi, C., Palmieri, E., Rosi, C., Buresta, D., Iocca, F., Cabrera, F., Zanobini, P., Lorini, C., & Bonaccorsi, G. (2025). Shared reading interventions to promote psychosocial well-being in older adults: a systematic review. Health Promotion International, 40. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaf036.
Mumper, M., & Gerrig, R. (2017). Leisure reading and social cognition: A meta-analysis.. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 11, 109-120. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000089.
Mumper, M., & Gerrig, R. (2019). How Does Leisure Reading Affect Social Cognitive Abilities?. Poetics Today. https://doi.org/10.1215/03335372-7558080.
Perera, K., Liyanage, D., Weeraratne, C., & Kuruppu, D. (2025). Exploring the benefits of leisure reading for medical students and the role of medical libraries in promoting leisure literature: a scoping review. Information Research an international electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.47989/ir30354561.
Sande, M., Fekkes, M., Kocken, P., Diekstra, R., Reis, R., & Gravesteijn, C. (2019). Do universal social and emotional learning programs for secondary school students enhance the competencies they address? A systematic review. Psychology in the Schools. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22307.
Santos, A., Arriaga, P., Daniel, J., Cefai, C., Melo, M., Psyllou, A., Shieh, J., Schutte, N., Furtado, C., David, C., Azevedo, M., Andreou, E., & Simões, C. (2022). Social and emotional competencies as predictors of student engagement in youth: a cross-cultural multilevel study. Studies in Higher Education, 48, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2099370.
Santos, A., Simões, C., Melo, M., Santos, M., Freitas, I., Branquinho, C., Cefai, C., & Arriaga, P. (2023). A systematic review of the association between social and emotional competencies and student engagement in youth. Educational Research Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2023.100535.
Schoppmann, J., Severin, F., Schneider, S., & Seehagen, S. (2023). The effect of picture book reading on young children’s use of an emotion regulation strategy. PLOS ONE, 18. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289403.
Sun, Y., Sahakian, B., Langley, C., Yang, A., Jiang, Y., Kang, J., Zhao, X., Li, C., Cheng, W., & Feng, J. (2023). Early-initiated childhood reading for pleasure: associations with better cognitive performance, mental well-being and brain structure in young adolescence.. Psychological medicine, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291723001381.
Tijms, J., Stoop, M., & Polleck, J. (2018). Bibliotherapeutic book club intervention to promote reading skills and social–emotional competencies in low SES community‐based high schools: A randomised controlled trial. Journal of Research in Reading, 41, 525-545. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12123.
Węziak‐Białowolska, D., Białowolski, P., & Sacco, P. (2023). Mind-stimulating leisure activities: Prospective associations with health, wellbeing, and longevity. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1117822.
Yan, Y., Wang, X., Zhang, R., & Zhang, Y. (2022). The relationship between leisure activities and the mental health of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. World Leisure Journal, 65, 119-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/16078055.2022.2158924.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dwi Diva A. Panjaitan, Majid Wajdi, Zanyar Nathir Ghafar, Md. Abdur Rouf, Omar Mohammad-Ameen Ahmad Hazaymeh, Ahmet Selçuk Akdemir, Muhammad Mustafa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
