According to Science, Reading Books Makes You Live Longer

Lower levels of stress, blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s are just the beginning.

Getting lost in a good book is a great way to pass the time and something I do daily. But did you know it is a healthy thing to do? A study published in Innovation in Aging followed 3635 people for 12 years and found that:

Book reading contributed to a survival advantage that was significantly greater than that observed for reading newspapers or magazines.

Book readers also experienced a 20% reduction in risk of mortality over the 12 years of follow up compared to non-book readers.

The reason for this seems to be an amalgamation of positive factors. Apart from being enjoyable, (which I think is reason enough,) reading provides numerous other science-backed benefits. It is always nice when something you love doing turns out to be healthy.

Reading literally alters your brain

In 2013, a study took place where volunteers were given the book Pompeii by Richard Harris and fed into an MRI. (I highly recommend the book.) Over the course of nine days, the participants read at the same pace and their brain activity was scanned each evening.

The results were the same for all with more of the brain lighting up as the readers reached the climax and — spoiler — the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. These changes lessened slightly after the book was finished but remained higher than at the start of the experiment, suggesting that regular reading will continue to alter the brain and those changes are permanent.

The increased connectivity was particularly strong in the somatosensory cortex. This is a part of the brain that deals with bodily sensations leading scientists to theorize that the reader is empathizing with the protagonist. (Read the full results of the study here.) Increased empathy is another major benefit.

Fiction increases empathy

A decent novel gives an insight into the motivations, character traits and inner feelings of the characters. If I don’t understand a character, I find it diminishes the impact of what happens to them. This insight helps a reader to connect and empathize with the protagonist (and others). As well as physically altering the brain (as discussed previously), this leads to an increased ability to understand the feelings and viewpoints of other people.

This increased empathy is known as the ‘Theory of Mind’. When people read the thoughts of a character, areas known to be connected to the theory of mind are activated. What this means is, people who regularly read fiction have improved abilities when it comes to making and maintaining a large social network as they have a better understanding of what makes others ‘tick’.

Obviously, this isn’t a hard and fast rule but it is something I have noticed with friends that read a lot. I am fairly sociable and while I wouldn’t lay that trait squarely at the feet of fiction, I do often find people reminding me of specific characters or character types and as I get to know them better, they often are that type. Authors observe people and try to make characters seem realistic, often basing them on real people. I seem to find it generally easier to ‘read’ people I meet better than others.

Having multiple strong relationships has proven health benefits and numerous studies have shown it to be as important for health as sleep or a good diet. Harvard Health writes:

One study, which examined data from more than 309,000 people, found that lack of strong relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50% — an effect on mortality risk roughly comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and greater than obesity and physical inactivity.

Conversely, a lack of relationships is linked to an increase in both depression and age-related cognitive decline.

Reading can alleviate depression

Fiction and non-fiction can help in alleviating symptoms of depression.

In addition to the previously mentioned benefits of empathy and stronger relationships, reading can whisk a reader away to an imaginary place. This can distance someone from the environment and emotions that may be affecting them. While they are on this mental adventure, feelings of isolation and rejection can be lessened.

I have found that the more absorbing the book, the better, so find what genre and authors work best for you. If you’re anything like me you will have a major back-log of books and if I feel a bit down, I know exactly what authors will help.

Non-fiction also has numerous self-help books that are specifically designed to help cope or manage with symptoms. In the UK, for example, there are initiatives such as the ‘Reading Well’ program (working with the National Health Service and others,) where medical experts prescribe specific books for sufferers of a variety of conditions.

Prevents or slows cognitive decline

There is building evidence that reading helps slow age-related mental issues but this is not yet 100% conclusive. Numerous studies have shown that people who stay mentally active through things like puzzles, sudoku, chess and reading are less likely to develop (or at least considerably slow) the advance of conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

In fact, the studies are showing that the earlier you start with these brain exercises, the less like you are to ger these conditions. So I recommend you start reading now. As I said, this is not definite but I certainly feel sharper if I get some reading in, earlier in the day.

Reading helps you sleep, destress, and reduce blood pressure

The importance of sleep is well established and a good book can lead to better rest. If you read before bedtime, read a paper book or magazine and avoid the light emitted by screen devices that stimulate the brain just when you want the opposite. I have a small pile of paper books by the bedside. Mostly short stories and a couple of biographies. Something you can dip into for 10 minutes.

A study by Mindlab International at the University of Sussex found that when it came to reducing stress, reading was the best. The activity lowered stress rates by 61%, compared to a cup of tea at 54%, and taking a walk, 42%. A separate university study in the USA found:

The results of this study indicate that one 30-minute session of yoga, humor, and reading had similar effects in decreasing acute stress in health science students. This finding is important since these interventions resulted in a significant reduction in stress in a relatively short amount of time, allowing educators to begin to consider different stress management strategies to offer to students.

The study also found there was a reduction in blood pressure and heart rate.

The reason for this is believed to be the ability of a literary work to distract and absorb attention away from whatever is troubling the individual.

Reading builds vocabulary and knowledge

This is down to something termed as ‘The Matthew effect’ referring to a biblical verse:

For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Matthew 25:29

This is related to the idea that ‘the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer’. The earlier a child gets started with reading, the more their vocabulary will build. Conversely, if someone starts later in life, it will be very difficult to catch up. Obviously, it is still worth doing.

I started reading early and a love of fiction prompted me to do a degree in Literature and I now write for a living. I like to think my vocabulary is pretty good. I have also learned a lot from two of my favorite genres — science fiction (hard scifi is good) and well-researched historical fiction.

So your knowledge will grow, even with fiction, but it is more pronounced with non-fiction. A well-researched novel can stimulate while it educates and reading anything will, in the long term, lead to more knowledge.

Both a large vocabulary and knowledge of a wide variety of topics tend to lead to students doing better, applicants succeeding more in job interviews and the employed being promoted faster at work. An article in New York Times magazine stated:

Study after study over the past hundred years has tied vocabulary size to higher socioeconomic status, greater educational achievement and a host of other goods.

How does this relate to health? It is simply down to the fact that rich people live longer. An increasing number of studies have shown that the wealthy have healthier lives than the poor and live almost ten years longer.

Conclusion — reading is ridiculously good for you, for a lot of reasons

There are lots more benefits but I have to draw a line somewhere. It seems there is no single factor that leads to readers (particularly fiction) living longer but rather a variety of benefits that all work together to make you healthier and live longer. I generally feel better after a decent reading session and now I know why. Each in their own right is a good reason to develop a reading habit — taken together, I’m frankly surprised you aren’t rushing off to read a book right now. If you are, good for you.