The Ultimate Longevity Non-Hack
Image by Kourosh Qaffari via Unsplash.
Over the summer, Dan Pelzer went viral for his lifetime booklist. Pelzer had chronicled all 3,599 books that he read from 1962 to 2023. To memorialize his incredible achievement, his family created a website entitled, “What Dan Read” and shared his exacting, handwritten list with the public. The list immediately went viral. Many readers went connected with Pelzer’s passion for the written word, while his beloved Columbus Metropolitan Library posted its own transcribed version of the list.
Less discussed was another notable aspect of Pelzer’s obituary. He died at the age of 92.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that a dedicated reader enjoyed such a long life. Increasingly, studies indicate that reading is the ultimate longevity non-hack. It’s not a quick fix by any means. Committing to reading regularly requires stamina, focus, and a time commitment that can appear out of step with our distracted modern world. Yet prioritizing reading books now could pay dividends as we age.
In 2016, a study from the Yale University School of Public Health revealed a link between reading books and living longer. Researchers followed 3,635 adults over the age of 50 for 12 years. Specifically, the study found respondents who read books for thirty minutes a day lived longer - lowering their mortality rate by 23%. Readers generally lived two years longer than non-readers, with books providing more of benefit than magazines or newspapers. In a stunning conclusion, researchers reported that the more respondents read, the longer they lived.
A more recent survey approached reading and longevity from a different angle. In 2022, a study undertaken by the Mayo Clinic discovered that reading strengthens the brain’s ability to adapt to aging, known as its “cognitive reserve.” Researchers found that reading books lowers the risk of cognitive impairment later in life, while also increasing a relaxation response and an overall sense of well-being.
In a particularly powerful 2023 study that tracked middle-aged adults over for 6 years, researchers discovered that reading was associated with less depression, less loneliness, and less pain. Significantly, researchers found that: “These temporal associations were independent of demographic and socioeconomic status, personality, health history, previous daily life functioning, human behaviors, and lifestyle.” In sum, reading is the great equalizer.
Other studies have linked reading to increased empathy and have found it may stave off dementia. However, despite ample evidence demonstrating that reading not only lengthens our lives but improves our quality of life as well, people are reading less. A lot less.
This year, a massive study by the University of Florida and University College London indicated that reading for pleasure has fallen over the last 20 years by 40%. Experts gathered data from over 236,000 Americans. Many adults have stopped reading for pleasure entirely.
How can we read more books? Perhaps can take our cues from Pelzer’s list - and focus not only on what he read but how he managed such a feat. From there, we might make our own list:
Take books with you. According to Pelzer’s family and friends, he took books “everywhere.” He read books at work, on the bus, and carried them everywhere he went - often using them to start conversations with others.
Let every book count. Pelzer loved to read memoirs, books about religion, and novels. However, he was also a social worker at a juvenile correctional facility who read books about teenagers’ mental health. He wrote down those titles, too. Different seasons can require different sections of the library.
Engage with your local library. Libraries remind us that reading books can offer a source of community as well as enrichment. Their literacy programs are designed to instill enthusiasm for books among readers of any age, and a library card will forever offer the same timeless thrill.
Consider making your own list. A list creates a sense of accomplishment, builds momentum, and transforms an idle pastime into a purposeful habit. In addition, Pelzer’s viral catalogue demonstrates that a list can also build a legacy - one that may inspire others to follow suit.
Remember your “why.” Scientific research continues to show that reading books, alongside traditional recommendations like exercise, sleep, nutrition, and healthy relationships, can extend our lives by years. Deep, immersive reading can also play a key role in our lifelong well-being,
For my own tips on how to weave reading into daily life, you can check out my previous blog entry in which I detail my efforts to prioritize reading. Reading has immeasurably improved the quality of my life, and I’m delighted to learn about these long-term health benefits. As author Karin Slaughter has noted, “Reading is not just an escape. It is access to a better way of life.”
Fortunately, every single one of us has access to this longevity non-hack. In a world of quick fixes and digital dopamine hits, it’s worth safeguarding a form of entertainment that demands we take our time. Ultimately, a book gives us so much more than its story; it gives us more of our own.
