12 Scientific Ways Reading Can Actually Improve Your Life

It prevents Alzheimer’s! Also, it makes you sexier.

Reading can help prevent Alzheimer's.

Reading can help prevent Alzheimer's.

A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that older people who read regularly are two and a half times less likely to have Alzheimer's. While that doesn't mean reading alone will prevent Alzheimer's, it does suggest that there's a correlation between intellectual pursuits, like reading, and prevention.

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Being a reader means you're more likely to learn something new, like whether or not your cat is trying to kill you.

Being a reader means you're more likely to learn something new, like whether or not your cat is trying to kill you.

Anne E. Cunningham wrote a paper called, "What Reading Does For The Mind," and discovered that being an avid reader actually does make you smarter. It not only helps you retain information, but also helps you maintain that knowledge through old age. Whether or not you're aware of it, reading fills your head with new information, and you never know when it will come in handy... Looking at you, Colonel Meow.

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People who read are more likely to vote, exercise, and be more cultural.

People who read are more likely to vote, exercise, and be more cultural.

A study by the National Endowment for the Arts found that people who regularly read are much more likely to be engaged civically and culturally. Which means reading actually makes you win at life.

Via: J. Emilio Flores / Getty Images

Reading a book reduces stress, and puts you in a better mood.

Reading a book reduces stress, and puts you in a better mood.

When you read, it transports you and your worried mind to another place, so you won't feel so overwhelmed with the hardships of everyday life. And a 2009 study found that reading for just six minutes can reduce stress levels up to 68%. Read on, anxious ones!

Source: livesontheedge.tumblr.com


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