S cience now says those who are bookworms may be rewarded with potentially two years of additional life. A new study says avid readers live 23 months longer than their non-reading counterparts.

A study published in Social Science & Medicine found the difference in those with daily reading habits and those without. The study — surveying 3,635 people ages 50 and over — also found that those who read 3½ hours or more per week were 23 percent less likely to die than non-readers.

The “option” of reading is not as urgent to older generations, as they grew up with no smartphones, no computers and just a few television resources. But today, in an age of social media oversaturatation, the study found books proved better to read than smartphone scrolls and even periodicals.

Reading books promotes “deep reading,” which is a slow, immersive process, the study’s author said. “Books can promote empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence, which are cognitive processes that can lead to greater survival,” he said.

So put down the phone, turn off the television and settle into a comfy chair with a beverage and a favorite author. It could mean extra time with the children and grandchildren, who also will learn from example and start developing their their own good reading habits.