It has been discovered that people who read books live longer than those who don’t.
Researchers at Yale University asked 3,635 participants over 50 years-old about their reading habits. The data received was divided into 3 groups:
– Non-readers
– People who read less than 3.5 hours per week
– People who read more than 3.5 hours per week.
The researchers followed up with each group for 12 years and over the course of the study, it was discovered that both groups of readers lived longer than the non-readers. The readers who read over 3.5 hours a week lived a full 23 months longer than the people who didn’t read at all. That extended lifespan applied to all reading participants, regardless of gender, wealth, education or health factors. This research has made us understand that reading is the key to improve the quality of life in anyone over 50.
Reading books provide a survival advantage due to the immersive nature that helps maintain cognitive status. Reading also involves two major cognitive processes:
– Deep reading
– Emotional connection.
Deep reading is a slow process where the reader engages with the book and seeks to understand it within its own context and within the context of the outside world.
Emotional connection is where the reader empathizes with the characters, and that promotes social perception and emotional intelligence.
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Source: Big Think
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