I grew up reading books left and right. I was sold on any fantasy book that was put into my hands, and for the longest time, I didn’t understand how anyone could hate reading. The older I’ve gotten, the less time I’ve had to actually read. I like to multitask whenever I can, and so I turned to audiobooks as my source for reading. It was convenient, and I wasn’t held back by time or my own reading pace.
Unfortunately, that came with the onslaught of other people’s opinions about reading. They’d tell me that it wasn’t actually reading. Some told me it was a waste of time. Others didn’t believe I was actually retaining the story being told. That got me thinking, what IS an audiobook? What are the benefits of listening instead of looking? And why are they just as beneficial as reading a physical book?
In the past decade, there has been a significant rise in audiobook use across the U.S. Since 2014, according to a study from Edison Research, the use of audiobooks by readers is up 30%. They also found that the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic impacted readers 13 and up, with about 40% more readers than before.
Why do people listen to audiobooks? Well, audiobooks allow a reader to multitask as they listen, absorbing information through audio while accomplishing other tasks. They are beneficial to people who struggle to read physical books due to reading disabilities like dyslexia. Barbara Wilson, founder of the Wilson reading system, discussed the positive outcomes to students who listen to audiobooks such as: encouraging the skills of an independent reader, exposing students to higher vocabulary, and improving audible comprehension. She also talks about how audiobooks serve a purpose to people with visual or reading disabilities such as dyslexia or visual impairments.
There have been several studies discussing how doodling while you take notes helps you remember information better. Well, that same theory can be applied to listening to audiobooks. I like multitasking, so for me it’s the perfect time to listen to an audiobook. I’ve found over the years that I retain audible information better if I’m completing a task while I listen to it. So, when I go back to remember the information, I retain the memory of the task I was accomplishing to remember what I was hearing.
In the end, it’s up to personal preferences. Choose what works best for you or just what is the most fun for you. Some prefer that hands-on feel of holding a book and turning the pages. That’s perfectly okay. If you feel you do better at listening to books than go ahead and do that. At the end of the day read what you enjoy most in the way that is fun to you. And, whatever someone says, audiobooks are just as valid as reading a book.
