How reading behavior shapes physical and mental health: evidence from China

Against the backdrop of the deepening development of nationwide reading and the continuous advancement of the Healthy China strategy, reading is not only an important direction for expanding public cultural services but also a crucial support for building a Healthy China. This paper utilizes data from the Chinese General Social Survey and employs ordered Probit regression models to systematically examine the effects and underlying mechanisms of reading behavior regarding residents' physical and mental health. Findings indicate that reading behavior is significantly positively correlated with residents' physical and mental health, with heterogeneity observed across urban-rural, regional, and age dimensions. Specifically, the health benefits are significantly greater for rural residents and those in central and western regions compared to urban residents and those in eastern regions. Furthermore, reading exerts a significant positive effect on the health of middle-aged and older adults, while exhibiting a suppressive effect among the young population. Further mechanism analysis reveals that reading improves residents' physical and mental health through three pathways: enhancing self-cognition, improving subjective social status, and reducing health risk perception bias. Therefore, governments should continuously optimize public cultural services and implement differentiated reading promotion strategies targeting different regions and age groups, so as to maximize the health benefits of reading and provide strong support for improving residents' health and advancing the Healthy China strategy.