Culture and Health

A Chapter a Day – Association of Book Reading with Longevity

The study investigates the survival advantage of book readers over those who do not read or who read other sources. 3635 participants, nationwide, provided information on their reading habits. The study suggests that reading books has an impact on longevity, compared with merely reading newspapers or magazines. In book readers, there was a 20 percent reduction in mortality risk over the 12 years of follow-up compared with nonreaders.