Physician, heal thyself by reading

Move over, laughter — the American Medical Association is now prescribing reading as a cure for some ailments.

Specifically, the AMA is suggesting that practicing physicians pick up a book to help them avoid burnout, according to a news release from the group.

“There is an effect of literature on physicians that nothing else can have,” said AMA member Daniel Marchalik in the release.

Marchalik and several colleagues who studied the effects of reading on 2,500 physicians found that the activity increased their empathy and lowered their likelihood of burnout.

Read more about the study on the AMA’s website.