I’m reading Book Six of Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle. The rings with the birthstones of my grandchildren are from Luna & Stella.
It’s always nice to learn that something you do anyway is good for your health. For example, I love to read. Now an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune tells me that reading books may help older folks stave off dementia.
Doug Williams writes, “If you want to live a long, healthy life, be sure to exercise, eat your veggies, get plenty of sleep and surround yourself with family and friends.
“Oh, and read a few good books each year, too.
“Several studies in recent years indicate that reading — especially reading books — is beneficial to health, wellness and even longevity.
“In 2016, research done by a team at the Yale University School of Public Health found that of more than 3,600 men and women 50 and older in a long-term health and retirement study, book readers — reading at least 3½ hours per week — had a 20 percent lower risk of dying over the next 12 years than non-book readers.
“Books, even more than long magazine or newspaper articles, seem to enhance quality of life, the researchers said.
“ ‘You have to engage more, hold on to information longer,’ says Avni Bavishi, one of the researchers and authors of the study done while she was completing her master’s in chronic disease epidemiology at Yale. …
“Bavishi, now a medical student at Northwestern, says regular book readers can find relaxation in reading. That can be an oasis — an old-school refuge — in this era of constantly changing stimuli from the Internet and 24-hour news cycle. Lifelong readers, too, may develop better critical thinking skills, vocabulary and empathy that can improve quality of life.
“The researchers believe books promote ‘deep reading’ that is a slow, immersive process. That cognitive engagement may help a reader over his or her lifetime to develop better skills for reasoning and concentration that can improve quality of life (better schools, jobs, income, standard of living). Plus, reading books can ‘promote empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence’ that can help create what they call a ‘survival advantage.’ …
“A study published in the journal Neurology in 2013 also cited the benefits of a lifetime of reading as a barrier to ‘late-life cognitive decline.’ It found that although there is no cure for dementia, ‘reading, writing and playing games’ can slow the progress of that affliction. …
“In a 2009 study at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, researchers found reading reduced stress levels by 68 percent, better even than listening to music or taking a walk. Stress reduction was indicated by a lower heart rate and reduced muscle tension.
“Other studies show reading — especially before bedtime — promotes better sleep. It also can enhance social skills and can boost overall intelligence and academic success. …
“In 2012, Stanford researchers — using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — tracked blood flow to the brain of men and women critically reading excerpts of a Jane Austen novel. They found positive physical results, including increased blood flow to the brain in general, not just to the areas responsible for ‘executive function.’ ” More here.
FYI, I post mini reviews of all the books I read at GoodReads. You can email me at suzannesmom@lunaandstella.com about that.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
I like the sound of that! Bet that includes reading a friend’s post.😀
What a nice thought!
I feel like I read all day long but I know I don’t do enough deep reading–I tend to pick books up, as opposed to reading blogs and news articles, at the end if the day . . . and then I fall asleep. All the studies in your post give me motivation to do better!
Just since writing this post yesterday, I came to the realization that I don’t have the intellectual chops to finish Knausgaard’s book 6 with its hundreds of pages of really difficult philosophy and literary criticism. I liked the parts about his life. Terribly disappointed in myself, especially as more challenging works are supposed to stave off more dementia!
Another great blog post! As an ongoing library-book-reader, I am delighted to find confirmation of the health effects that ripple from reading many hours per week… Right now I’m chewing on a biography of Walter Winchell and how his columns/radio programs helped create the fame-and-celebrity-obsessed media world in which we now marinate ourselves (as more and more species go extinct, as climate change/turbulence increases, as ocean levels rise…) Deep breath in. Deep breathe out.
I have started using the library a lot more in retirement — because you can taste a book and give it back, libraries need support, saving paper is good, among other reasons. When I was commuting by train, though, I liked buying light-weight paperbacks so as to have less to carry.