And I wouldn't just say more time, but that time is certainly more productive for the life of the person who spends their hours reading all those books. It's also worth considering that we read to make that time more productive, but even so, reading is very rewarding on all levels, as Tyrion Lannister proclaims in one of his revered quotes: " The mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone if it is to keep its edge. That's why I read so much, Jon Snow ."
We now have a study that tells us that reading books for more than three hours a week can help us live longer. Those who regularly read books have a 17 percent lower chance of dying than those who don't, while those who spend more time reading as a hobby actually gain more life. Book readers typically live two years longer than those who hardly read at all.
This information comes from a 12-year study at Yale . Researchers examined data from 3.635 individuals who were involved for several years in a national health study for people over the age of 50.
Based on their responses to the question, " How many hours per week did you spend reading books? ", the respondents were divided into three groups. These three groups were those who did not read books, those who read less than three and a half hours per week, and those who read more than three and a half hours per week.
Becca Levy, professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale, has these words:
Older individuals, regardless of gender, health status, economic situation, or education, demonstrated the long-term benefits of reading books. More questions remain to be answered. We know that reading books involves two cognitive processes that could confer a survival advantage: the deep and slow immersion needed to connect with the content, and the fostering of empathy, social perception, and emotional intelligence.
We should also ask ourselves why children prefer to read printed books rather than digital ones.