Portsmouth residents urged to read everyday for a longer life

Portsmouth City Council is urging more people to use the island’s library services.

It comes after a study, in the journal Social Science & Medicine revealed that those who read 30 minutes a day had a longer life expectancy than those who do not.

The research looked at the reading patterns of 3,635 people who were 50 or older. On average, book readers were found to live for almost two years longer than non-readers.

Councillor Linda Symes, Portsmouth’s culture boss, is now calling on people to read books from the city’s libraries.

She said: ‘Reading a book is the ultimate relaxation and with research showing that reading for just half-an-hour a day can actually help reduce stress and increase life expectancy, there’s just no better antidote to modern life.’

A council spokeswoman added the area’s libraries had a range of materials ‘to suit all tastes’.