Bookworms, rejoice! People who read books live for longer

Sometimes you just can’t beat curling up in bed with a good book, whether that’s your old tattered copy of Bridget Jones's Diary that you’ve had since you were a teen or a shiny new copy of the latest best-selling thriller.

Reading is good for the soul, and it looks like it may actually be good for our health too with one study revealing that people who read live longer than those you don’t.

According to a team of researchers at the Yale School of Public Health, bookworms tend to live longer lives.

Their study looked at the reading habits of over 3,000 adults. The team discovered that people who read for over three hours each week lived two years more than those who didn't.

Of the 3,600 participants, those who read frequently had higher life expectancies.

Lead author of the study, Anvi Bavishi said: “We believe that reading books engages the brain more than magazines or newspapers, and it's cognitive engagement that extends your life.”

Reading has a plethora of benefits, from boosting intelligence to improving your sleeping habits.

It can also help lower your stress levels, which will boost your health. Experts believe that stress plays a part in up to 60 percent of health issues, like stroke and anxiety.

However, reading a book can help lower your stress levels dramatically. One study found that picking up a book can reduce stress by a whopping 68 percent. In the study conducted by the University of Sussex, researchers found that reading worked as a form of escapism from reality and your worries.

“This is more than merely a distraction but an active engaging of the imagination, as the words on the printed page stimulate your creativity and cause you to enter what is essentially an altered state of consciousness,” said Dr. David Lewis.

If anyone needs us we’ll be in the library!