After spending most of a lifetime battling habits that are either illegal, immoral or fattening, it turns out I have retained one avocation that is likely to extend my life while allowing me to avoid exercise, skip social interaction, delay decision-making and eat whatever's handy so long as it doesn't interfere with page-turning.
According to a recent study by Yale University researchers published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, those who read books live almost two years longer than those who make it a habit never to read, or read only such non-book fare as magazines, catalogs, cereal box ingredient lists or terms and conditions statements for cellphone billing plans.
Data for the Yale study came from a health and retirement survey sponsored by the National Institute on Aging that tracked the mortality rates for 3,635 research subjects aged 50 and older over a 12-year period. The subjects were divided into three groups: Those who don't read books, people who read books for up to 3.5 hours per week, and those who read books for more than 3.5 hours weekly.
Those who read books for up to 3.5 hours a week, or an average of only a half-hour per day, turned out to be 17 percent less likely to die during the 12-year follow-up period than non-readers. Those who read more than 3.5 hours weekly were 23 percent less likely to die during the study period.
Books seem to promote a "significant survival advantage" which could be promoted by the "slow, immersive process of deep reading," a cognitive engagement that takes place "as the reader draws connections to other parts of the material, finds applications to the outside world and asks questions about the content being presented," according to the study's authors. Vocabulary, reasoning, concentration and critical thinking skills are improved by exposure to books, "which can also promote empathy, social perception and intelligence, which are cognitive processes that can lead to greater survival," they added.
The bad news for America is that people in 22 other countries read more than we do, with India, Thailand, China taking gold, silver and bronze in international bookworm competition.
The bad news for me and others lucky enough to remain employed in our line of work is that the Yale study indicates that life will not be significantly extended by reading newspapers.
It's time for me to grab a novel and do a little reading before dozing off to help add another couple of years to my life span.
Otherwise, there are too many books and too little time.