Worried about the news? Open up a good book

Major outlets seized on Donald Trump's offhand remark that he would cross the concession bridge when he came to it, leading nearly every story this morning with speculation over a possible coupe.

We're involved in a land war in Iraq to retake Mosul from ISIS forces, and Turkey just killed 200 of our Syrian Kurdish allies north of Aleppo.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a literal war on drug dealers -- one newspaper publishes a regular "kill list," -- and is threatening to sever ties with the United States and is pulling closer to China.

Sexually transmitted disease is at an all-time high, and watch out -- your cell phone may burst into flames in your pocket.

It's enough to leave even the most the most politically-involved news junkie longing for an escape.

That's exactly what reading a good book can provide.

Come to think of it, compared to actual events, many suspense novels are calm by comparison.

The folks at Readers Digest collected a number of studies with surprising benefits from cracking a good book.

It's a different kind of exercise than watching TV or listening to the radio, whether it's a novel or instruction manual for your leaf blower, according to Ken Puch, PhD, president and director of Haskins Laboratories. It forces your brain to think and concentrate.

A good plot can help keep you on an exercise machine to finish a captivating chapter, according to Michele Olson, PhD, professor of exercise physiology at Auburn University. Avoid neck or shoulder pain by using the machine's book ledge and maintain good posture while working out.

Rush University Medical Center conducted a study that adults who spend their downtime doing creative or intellectual activities like reading have a 32 percent slower rate of cognitive decline later in life than those who do not.

Snuggling up with a good read reduces levels of unhealthy stress hormones such as cortisol, according to a British study, which employed reading, listening to music or playing video games. The stress levels of readers dropped 67 percent, more significant than the other groups.

Researchers estimate we learn up to 15 percent of all words we know through reading, especially important for children.

York University researchers found that getting wrapped in a good plot line can change your attitude in real-life experiences.

Reading about someone who overcame obstacles can inspire you to overcome your own, according to Ohio State University.

Reading about how characters in book interact with each other can help your real-life interactions, according to psychologists at the University of Buffalo.

Reading about positive experiences in novels can trigger your own warm memories.

Pencil it out, and reading can actually save money. The average novel costs between $8 for an e-book and $13 for a paperback, and takes about six hours to read. That's a real bargain compared to going to movies, spending a day at an amusement park or eating a few meals out.

It's even a better bargain if you borrow the books from your local library.

Yes, we need to take part in our nation's political process, and that includes knowing about international affairs.

But opening a good book can help offset the bad effects of a steady diet of troubling news.