Expanding on last week’s blog, a study by Yale University found that people who read books live an average of 23 months longer than those who don’t.

The findings were based on data from the National Institute on Aging’s Health and Retirement Study, which repeatedly observed 3,635 subjects over the age of 50 for a 12-year period. Using responses to questions regarding reading habits, Yale researchers divided subjects into three groups:

• Those who didn’t read books
• Those who read books up to 3.5 hours each week
• Those who read books more than 3.5 hours

Researchers examined whether older adults who read (printed) books have an advantage over those who don’t or those who read newspapers and magazines.

What they learned

The results were impressive. During the 12-year Yale study, participants who devoted more than 3.5 hours each week to book reading were 23 percent less likely to die than non-book readers and those who read up to 3.5 hours weekly were 17 percent less likely to die.

The authors noted that subjects who read newspapers and magazines did not gain the “survival advantage” shown by book readers. They noted two possible explanations for book-reading benefits. “First, it promotes ‘deep reading,’” the authors theorized, which encourages the reader to become engrossed in the story and to make connections between what they are reading and the world in which they live. “Second, books can promote empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence, which are cognitive processes that can lead to greater survival.”

Although participants did not indicate the genre of books read, Yale researchers concluded that most were fiction based on a National Endowment for the Arts survey that found 87 percent of book readers choose fiction.

Future research

The Yale authors suggest future research to more fully explore the book-reading phenomenon:

• Does book reading offer additional benefits?
• Do e-books and audiobooks offer the same advantages as the printed book?
• Does the genre of the book affect or determine the benefits?

Embrace the book advantage

While results of the Yale study are significant, they also provide motivation for older adults to bulk up on book reading. Citing a study that found older adults watch an average of 4.4 hours of television each day, the authors proposed, “Efforts to redirect leisure time into books could prove to be beneficial in terms of survival for this population.”

So let’s all turn off the television and turn on our brains by reaching for a book.