Good news for book lovers.
We can all agree that our generation doesn’t read enough, you can blame it on social media, Netflix and laziness, but you rarely see young people reading anything other than their phones these days. But for the small few that do, it will really work out in your favour in the future.
While those who read a lot generally have better vocabularies and better memories and are even proven to be smarter, this is probably the biggest benefit to date.
According to research by the Yale School of Public Health, readers live a lot longer than those who don’t read at all.
The study found that people who read for three and a half hours per week were 17 percent less likely to die over a 12-year follow-up period.
Literature lovers who spend over three and a half hours per week reading were 23 percent less likely to die over the same period of time.
The study examined 3,600 adults over the age of 50 and over who were asked about their reading habits.
If you aren’t a fan of reading books but tend to pick up a magazine or newspaper on a regular basis, you are still more likely to live longer than those who never read anything. Although book-readers life expectancy was significantly higher overall.
According to CBSnews, researchers did not look into the effects of e-books or audiobooks, though the author of the study, Anvi Bavishi said she would like to in future research.
So while reading tweets and Facebook statuses probably won’t work, picking up the new Harry Potter book that’s flying off the shelves or one of your childhood favourites might be the best way to get back into the habit and live a longer life.
