Just as the body needs physical activity to stay healthy, the brain benefits from exercise too. According to experts, Reading habits can be a stimulus that improves the quality of society mental health.

“Reading, by involving imagination, thinking, anticipation, and learning, functions as ‘exercise’ for the human brain. Although not a muscle, our brain needs to be stimulated,” said Augusto Buchweitz, researcher at the Instituto do Cérebro (InsCer), in an interview with the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Pucrs), Brazil, published in website from the institution.

(These may interest you: 4 books to understand world history)

Reading promotes healthy aging

Studies show that reading may be a way to protect the mind from neurodegenerative diseases. This is because according to the Pucrs text, reading improves brain function, which delays the onset of disease-like symptoms dementia And Alzheimer’s.

scientific articles Reading activity prevents long-term decline in cognitive function in the elderly: evidence from a longitudinal study (Reading prevents long-term decline in cognitive function in the elderly: data from a longitudinal study, in Spanish) published in 2020 in the journal International Psychogeriatricsfrom the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), stated that reading protects brain cognitive function during old age. The study followed more than 1,900 people over the age of 60 for 14 years.

(See also: A must read book for every science lover)

The conclusion of this study is that reading frequently, at least once a week, poses a lower risk of cognitive decline for older adultsregardless of their level of education.

The test shows reading as a way to have a healthy agingbecause according to the World Health Organization (WHO), maintaining cognitive function is important for old age with higher levels of life satisfaction and well-being.