Researchers at Yale University have recently published a study showing that people who read books live longer on average than those who don’t.
What are the benefits of reading? Everyone can list many benefits, such as increasing knowledge, broadening horizons, etc. But few people would think that reading more can help you live longer.
Researchers from the Yale School of Public Health recently published a paper in the academic journal Social Science & Medicine stating that according to a 12-year-long follow-up study, the life expectancy of those who read was nearly two years longer than those who did not. Even people who read only half an hour a day lived longer than those who didn’t, and this held after removing variables such as wealth, education, and health.
People who read live longer
The researchers followed 3,635 respondents over the age of 50 and categorized them into three groups: those who did not read, those who read up to 3.5 hours a week (i.e., an average of half an hour a day), and those who read more than 3.5 hours a week.
The study found that women, those with university degrees, and those with higher incomes, who are generally considered to have a longer life expectancy and are more likely to read, the factors such as gender, educational attainment, income, age, race, occupation, health status, and marital status were excluded from the analysis of the data.
After 12 years of tracking, the study found that people who read up to 3.5 hours per week had a 17 percent lower mortality rate than those who did not read, and those who read more than 3.5 hours per week had a 23 percent lower mortality rate than those who did not read. Overall, people who read live an average of 23 months longer than those who do not.
The study also found that people who read newspapers and magazines lived longer than non-readers, but the effect was much weaker than reading books. It is important to note that this study only demonstrates a correlation between reading and longevity, but the correlation does not imply causation. Furthermore, the effect of reading on younger age groups was not part of the study.
Avni Bavishi, an author of the paper, suggests that reading improves cognitive abilities such as memory, which may be the reason for longer life expectancy. For example, when you read a novel, you need to memorize characters, plot lines, etc. Therefore, your brain has to strengthen and store these memories, thereby improving the reader’s memory.
The development of technology has made people extremely dependent on their electronic devices. Playing games, texting, watching videos, and reading intermittently on social media have allowed many people to develop the skill of “multi-threaded work,” in which multiple things are handled simultaneously quickly. However, another study shows that this approach does not improve efficiency, but puts a heavier burden on the brain. When people read books, they focus all their attention on the book, which can improve their concentration.
After catching up on the latest goings-on, you may want to put down your cell phone and pick up a book. The article points out that people over 65 in the US spend an average of 4.4 hours a day watching TV. Using more of that time to delve into a book can pay bigger dividends!
Translated by Audrey Wang
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