Read More, Live More
My mother used to scold me about reading too much. 'Go outside!' she'd say. 'Enjoy the sunshine!' when she'd find me curled up with my nose in a book. Later, she'd tell me I was reading too many books. She was worried I was neglecting my schoolwork, but I could point out that my grades were keeping me on the honor roll every semester in high school, even while I was hauling home armloads of books from the library.
Turns out, I can now argue that my time spent reading might be adding years (ok, at least months) to my life. A study published in the Social Science & Medicine Journal concluded that reading books adds between 23 and four months to one's life. Reading periodicals (i.e. magazines) adds a few months, but it's books with their deep reading and immersive experience that really make a difference. But why? The study concludes that books improve reader's emotional intelligence, empathy, and connections to society. When we dive into a book, we are conducting ""deep reading,” which is a slow, immersive process; this cognitive engagement occurs as the reader draws connections to other parts of the material, finds applications to the outside world, and asks questions about the content presented." This unfurling of our mental processes, the study hypothesizes, leads to readers having a 'survival advantage.'
And it's not just reading non-fiction. I've had conversations with people who sniff at reading fiction, but statistics show that 87% of readers are readers of fiction. Fiction offers ways for readers to safely explore the world around them, the connections in society, the interactions humans can have, and in reading, develop their ability to think flexibly and to feel more connected to other humans. Reading offers a way to explore the world, history, and worlds only ever dreamt of. As the study authors said, it's a way to ask, and answer, questions. Answer in more than one way, too. For all that we can have nearly limitless questions about the world that surrounds us, the answers are exponentially vaster. When was the world inhabited by 15 foot-tall fungus and little else? What is the fastest acceleration in nature? What is it about the warmth and wit of the comedy of manners written by Georgette Heyer that so engages and amuses us even now, making them timeless classics of romance? (I've been binging on Heyer as many of her titles are now available in Kindle Unlimited).
We can learn from books, but we also derive great comfort and escape from the stresses of daily life through reading. Fiction in particular has the capacity to transport us outside this world, and the cares that wear time off our lifespan. This, perhaps, accounts for some of the time readers gain at the end of the span that has not been eroded by as much stress as non-readers who cannot escape so readily.
I did get outside and still love spending time out-of-doors. But there's time enough to do both. I still read, and I need to walk or hike more, but spring is coming (eventually!) and my reading time will slip a little while I prioritize that sunshine I do need. I won't stop reading entirely, though. Even if it doesn't make me live longer, it makes the life I'm living now seem easier and more pleasant. I'll take that.