Latest word in good health

READING makes you feel better, according to a nationwide study.

Three out of four people who read regularly said it had a positive impact on their mental health and wellbeing, research found.

A survey of more than 1,600 adults by The Reader charity, which organises shared reading groups across the UK, indicated that reading has the greatest impact on those aged between 18 and 34.

Katie Clark, The Reader’s director of literature, said their reading groups are ‘a lifeline for people’, adding: ‘At a time when so many of us are facing growing pressures, we’re calling for more groups in more communities and services.’

The average UK reader gets through 13 books a year, with just over a third of those questioned managing one to five books a year.

A 2009 study at the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress by up to 68 per cent, and that it works better and faster than other relaxation methods, such as listening to music or drinking a hot cup of tea.