Prevents diseases
Running and going to the gym are fashionable physical activities because exercise strengthens the body and promotes well-being. But, as varied as the training is, not all muscles are worked. To ensure that nothing is left behind, reading a book is a good medicine: countless studies indicate that reading stimulates the “muscles” of the brain and makes them stronger, and can act as a preventive factor in degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. It is also proven that people with more intellectually demanding professions are less likely to develop pathologies linked to brain deterioration.
Reduces stress
Neither walking, or listening to music, or drinking tea. Nothing worked better than reading a book to calm a racing heart, according to research led by British neuropsychologist David Lewis of the University of Sussex. It took six minutes of reading for the stress levels of people who agreed to participate in the study to decrease by 68%, against a maximum of 61% when they tried to calm down through music. A tea (54%) or a walk (42%), other alternatives evaluated, were less effective.
Combats the aging of the brain
There is a direct relationship between the cognitive activity performed over the years and the loss of cognitive abilities associated with natural aging, such as memory, reasoning or perception. The more attention you devote to the first one, for example, through reading books, the slower the second one becomes, as concluded in a 2013 study published in the scientific journal Neurology, of the American Academy of Neurology.
Increases average life expectancy
A study by Yale University, in the United States, revealed that people who read a book for 30 minutes a day, on average, live 23 more months, when compared to those who do not. The researchers reached this conclusion after 12 years of study, which was published in the Social Science and Medicine journal.
