Even without a flask of wine and thou…

Not reading books — the printed version or the e-book, it doesn't matter — has gained a certain cachet in certain circles.

Being a non-reader supposedly suggests that one is too busy 'doing things that matter', or that there are other less timeconsuming, more attractive means to gain knowledge, information and pleasure. Well, for such utilitarians, there's news: reading books is good for your health. 'Two years of life', to be precise, if you are a 'quantifiables' junkie and believe in a Yale University study. And, no, reading editorials or magazine articles don't count. One is talking about immersive literature like novels or 'narrative non-fiction'. But hang on. Is this some kind of scam cooked up by Nerds Inc to make reading books seem a health and lifestyle virtue? After all, you're not on a treadmill or an Atkins diet while turning pages in a stationary position.

The Yale study insists that reading stories not only strengthens language-processing regions of the brain but also affects neural activity, which, in turn, affects the senses. In other words, reading books changes connections in the brain that affect the way the body functions. So, the next time you diss a bookworm, or flaunt that you don't have time for 'childish' pleasantries like 'reading-sheading', remember two words: two years.