Book nerds do everything better, folks, and we get a lot more time to do it. Scientists have discovered that reading makes you live longer, so you should definitely hit the books before — gasp! — it's too late.
Seriously, why are people still not reading? Reading makes you more attractive, dramatically reduces your stress levels, and just makes you an all-around better person. And now, a new study has found that people who read live longer than those who don't.
For longevity benefits, it seems, reading more is always better, but reading anything at all is better than nothing. The study — conducted by Avni Bavishi, Martin D. Slade, and Becca R. Levy of the Yale University School of Public Health — found that those who read books for up to three-and-a-half hours per week were 17 percent less likely to die over a 12-year period than those who did not read at all. Individuals who logged more than three-and-a-half hours per week were 23 percent less likely to perish.
These findings fall in line with a study that came to light in February, when we learned that joining a book club keeps you healthy. That study found that adults who maintained two social memberships — in book clubs, church groups, and fraternal organizations, for example — had only a 2 percent chance of premature death in the first six years following their retirements. Those who let their memberships lapse were six times more likely to die early.
So pick up a book. Your life just might depend on it.
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