The length of time that people spent reading also seemed to make a difference. People who read up to 3.5 hours a week were 17% less likely to die – and people who read even more than that were 23% less likely.

If you prefer flicking through a magazine or casting your eye over a newspaper to getting stuck into a lengthy novel, you may still live longer than if you didn’t read at all. However, the study’s authors tell the Guardian that book readers lived the longest of all.

“We uncovered that this effect is likely because books engage the reader’s mind more – providing more cognitive benefit, and therefore increasing the lifespan,” says Avni Bavishi, who co-authored the research.

While the research doesn’t establish a definite link between reading and staving off the Grim Reaper, it does add to the considerable pile of evidence suggesting that reading – as well as being a jolly nice way to pass the time – is actively good for you. Read on, bookworms.

Book lovers, rejoice: scientists reveal the best news ever for reading addicts