This study compared six types of media – television and movies, music, video games, the Internet, magazines and newspapers, and books – and found that music-loving teens were 8.3 times more likely to suffer from depression than those who preferred other media. Book lovers, on the other hand, were less likely to be depressed than all other groups, the researchers found.
Following the warning published by the American Academy of Pediatrics on a possible link between social networks and depression in adolescents, this latest study is part of many other studies focusing on the influence of the media on young people. But its interest lies in the fact that it establishes a link between reading and a lower probability of depression. When teens read books, this probability drops “while it increases with all other media,” says Dr. Brian Primack, professor at the University of Pittsburgh.