Books play an important role in our life and every one of them is a journey of its own. They give us joy, they encourage us and they teach us. But can reading affect our longevity?
Book Reading
According to a study from Yale University it does.
In an attempt to answer that question, researchers from Yale University examined whether those who read books have a longevity advantage over those who don’t and the importance of the print material. To do that, they analyzed data from 3,635 participants, over 50 years-old, on their reading habits. The participants were separated into 3 groups : those who read more than 3,5 hours per week, those who read up to 3,5 hours per week, and the non-readers.
After following up with each group for 12 years and adjusting their data for age, race, sex, wealth, education, depression and other health conditions, they concluded that book readers experienced a 20% reduction in risk of mortality over compared to non-book readers. The effect of reading seems to be slightly smaller when it comes to newspapers and magazines.
As the researchers say in their study : “These findings suggest that the benefits of reading books include a longer life in which to read them.”