Want To Live Longer? Read A Book

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Want to live longer? Read a book.

New research shows a link between reading, and living a longer life.

The researchers studied people over 50, and how many minutes they spent reading each week.

"We found that those who read up to three and a half hours had a 17-percent survival advantage, and at more than three and a half hours you had a 23-percent reduction in mortality," Avni Bavishi, a master's student at the Yale University School of Public Health told KCBS.

Bavishi says newspapers and magazines help, "But it did not help as much as books did."

Previous research has shown a link between higher cognitive scores and longevity.

Reading books reduces stress, increases vocabulary and reports of happiness. What the researchers don't know is if subject matter makes a difference.