Of course I spout the benefits of reading because, hey, I want you to buy my books. But turns out there's a less self-serving used-car-salesman kind of schlocky reason to read . . .

You'll live longer.

No, really. I'm not making this up. A recent study published in Social Science & Medicine backs this up with facts.

A group of 3,635 people (all over the age of 50) were split into one of three groups:
     - non-readers
     - readers who read books for up to 3.5 hours every week
     - readers who read books for more than 3.5 hours per week

Collecting data from those groups, here's what they found out . . .

Those who read up to 3.5 hours a week were 17% less likely to die over 12 years of follow-up.

Those who read more than 3.5 hours were 23% less likely to die.

On average, book readers lived almost 2 years longer than those who did not read at all.

But if books aren't your thing, there is still a longevity benefit (albeit less) for those who read newspapers and periodicals.

So there it is in print . . . your official permission to run out and buy a new book today.