UK researchers out of the University of Sussex found that in as little as 6 minutes: reading a novel that transports you into a character’s world, you can reduce stress by 68% with lowered heart rate and muscle tension!  Reading outshined listening to music, taking a walk or having a cup of your favorite warm beverage.

Book readers live an average of two years longer than non-readers, according to research published in Social Science & Medicine. Compared to those who didn’t read books, people who read for up to 3.5 hours per week had a 17% lower risk of dying over the next 12 years; and those who read more than 3.5 hours per week lowered the risk of dying prematurely by 23%.

Also, lifelong readers have been found to have more protection against Lewy bodies, amyloid burden, and tangles in their brains over a six-year study, published in Neurology. Reading into one’s older years reduced memory decline by more than 30%, compared to other forms of mental activity.

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