A Yale study that followed more than 3,600 older adults for twelve years found that book readers outlived non-readers by almost two years, an advantage that held even after accounting for wealth, education and health

A Yale study that followed more than 3,600 older adults for twelve years found that book readers outlived non-readers by almost two years, an advantage that held even after accounting for wealth, education and health

The claim that reading books helps you live longer sounds like the sort of thing printed on a tote bag. It is also, unusually for that kind of claim, backed by a real and reasonably careful study. The catch is that the study shows an association, not a cure, and the gap between those two things is where most of the interesting questions live. I am a writer, not a scientist, so treat this as a careful reading of the research rather than expert te…