Reading books is both a pleasant activity, and a healthy one
(Mirror Daily, United States) Do you remember Matilda in the famous movie, whose life took an incredible change because she was so into books? Do you remember Peter Pan, who never grows old? Well, you might be just like these characters. The key to everything is simple: reading books increases your chances for a better, longer life – it is medically approved!
Yale University led an ambitious study, which lasted for 12 years, regarding people’s reading habits and the effect that this activity has on their life and health. Surprisingly or not, they found that avid readers are prone to live longer than those who don’t read at all. Researchers estimate that bookworms add about two years to their lifespan.
The study involved a number of 3,635 subjects who took part in the investigation. They were in their 50s and were divided into three books: those who read for half an hour a day, those who read more than half an hour (reaching three hours and a half per week), and those who are not in the habit of reading. The researchers found that people who read around three and a half hours a week tend to add two more years to their lives than those who don’t read at all.
The research also showed that reading magazines and other kinds of written materials are also good, but the best remedy is to read literature (novels). Moreover, most of the avid readers were women holding a university diploma.
When putting everything into a percentage, the scientists found that people in the first group have 17% chances not to die, whereas those who read more than three hours a week have 23% chances not to die. People who don’t use to read don’t improve their life span.
The study on the advantages of reading books was led by Becca Levy (Yale University Professor) and was published in Social Science and Medicine. She declared:
“People who report as little as a half-hour a day of book reading had a significant survival advantage over those who did not read.”
If there were any doubts about the advantages of reading books, now there are none. Reading books helps you enrich your culture and knowledge of the world, stimulates your brain, and it also improves your health. Of course, voices may rise, saying that a sedentary activity can’t possibly be good for your health, but there’s nothing that prevents you from exercising and having a healthy lifestyle.
Image source: Wikipedia