Congratulations, you’re a book nerd just like us! There’s no greater feeling than turning a page knowing that you’re either learning or experiencing something new. Sometimes it feels as though nothing can ever beat the experience of being alone with a great book.

The best thing about reading, however, is that the benefits don’t stop at mere enjoyment.

So much is happening to your body when you read—from your head, all the way down to your little toes. It doesn’t seem obvious at all because all this action is happening within.

Research shows that reading makes you smarter by giving you better vocabulary, advanced word knowledge and abstract reasoning. Readers of fiction are also more empathetic and have greater emotional intelligence. There’s some amazing health benefits to reading too, including helping with depression, cutting stress and reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer’s later in life.

Check out all the ways you become (almost) superhuman through reading in the infographic below.