We all know an apple a day keeps the doctors away, but new studies show books can have a similar effect on readers. New research conducted by the Yale University School of Public Health shows that reading books have been linked with living longer. One would think that the effect of this study would cause everyone to pick up a book and start reading, but surprisingly quite the contrary is occurring.
The reading rates in children continue to decrease each year, with the number of children reading for pleasure decreasing at an even faster rate. “The number of American children who say they love reading books for fun has dropped almost 10% in the last four years, according to a US study, with children citing the pressure of schoolwork and other distractions".This is problematic for a number of reasons, but the most important being all of the positive benefits that come from reading are being lost.
Also another article by Education Closet states, “Reading has been shown to put our brains into a pleasurable trance-like state, similar to meditation, and it brings the same health benefits of deep relaxation and inner calm. Regular readers sleep better, have lower stress levels, higher self-esteem, and lower rates of depression than non-readers”. In a day and age where children are facing high levels of stress and self-esteem issues in their daily lives, reading books seems to be the perfect solution to boost positivity and help keep children focused. As technological advances are being made and more and more children are spending their time playing video games and using other handheld devices for enjoyment, we can't help but see a decrease in the number of children that read for fun.
That is why it is all the more important to understand the impact that reading can have on one’s health. So what are you waiting for? Pick up a book and start reading!
Links:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953616303689
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/09/decline-children-reading-pleasure-survey
http://educationcloset.com/2015/09/09/a-book-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away/
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/08/03/read-books-live-longer/
