Let’s face it: reading is hard. It takes time, effort, and concentration. You have to sit still, hold a book, and stare at words on a page. You have to deal with distractions, interruptions, and eye strain. You have to remember what you read, understand what it means, and apply it to your life. Reading is hard, and sometimes it sucks.
Audiobooks are an easy way to consume books. They are convenient, accessible, and engaging. They let you multitask, relax, and have fun while listening to books. Audiobooks are great, but are they really reading?
Well, what if you couldn’t read?
Winston Churchill famously enjoyed being read to in his later life as he recovered from a stroke. With his hand tremors making reading difficult, he greatly appreciated his wife and daughters taking turns reading to him daily. Churchill was not alone in finding joy through being read aloud to. Many prominent leaders, thinkers, and writers over centuries have praised the pleasure of hearing words rather than seeing them on the page.
C.S. Lewis found pleasure in being read to as his eyesight deteriorated later in life. Due to developing cataracts, by the 1960s Lewis experienced difficulty reading standard print books. However, he maintained a passion for literature and learning. On weekends, Lewis regularly hosted small gatherings at his home in Oxford where friends would take turns reading selections aloud from books and papers to Lewis. Biographers note Lewis seemed to deeply savor these shared reading sessions. They provided Lewis continued enjoyment of written works and conversations about ideas even as visual reading became a hindrance. The practice of being read to helped Lewis maintain enjoyment of reading for pleasure and scholarship to the end of his life, illustrating the value different mediums can bring to engaging with stories and literature.
Do You Get The Same Benefits From Audiobooks As Reading?
When it comes to consuming books, many avid readers assume that actively reading the text itself will always be superior to listening to an audiobook version. There are several rationales often proposed for why audiobooks might be seen as an inferior substitute for the real reading experience. Some of the most common arguments made are that audiobooks don’t allow rereading passages at will, don’t provide the mental workout of visual comprehension, and may not promote retaining information as adeptly as one’s own internal narration. It is also frequently suggested that audiobooks are too passive, lacking the focused engagement needed to fully immerse within an imagined world or think critically about ideas. With so many passionate defenders of the benefits of silent reading, can listening provide an equally valuable experience? Or does active reading on the page indeed surpass the auditory medium? Let’s explore some potential pros and cons of each format.
The Biggest Benefit Of Audiobooks
One of the largest benefits of audiobooks often overlooked is the ability to consume stories during activities when visual reading isn’t possible. Many avid readers appreciate books as much for their entertainment as educational value. However, life doesn’t always afford the luxury of sitting down for a leisurely read. Audiobooks open access to content in ways silent reading cannot compete with.
Listeners are free to “read” during daily tasks like commuting, walking the dog, doing chores, washing up or hobbies with their hands. Even conditions making reading with eyes difficult, such as vision impairments, aren’t a barrier.
Audiobooks essentially bring the portable library along anywhere life’s audio adventures may roam. This allows consistently filling often wasted down times with mental enrichment instead of mindless activities or distractions. In turn, audiobooks can cultivate a lifelong learning habit where it otherwise may not take root. Their unmatched accessibility in more places and situations compared to physical books is an undeniable strength deserving respect.
Biggest Downfall Of Audiobooks
While audiobooks provide unmatched accessibility in many situations, one of the biggest drawbacks is that certain types of literature are inherently difficult or nearly impossible to consume effectively through audio alone.
Books reliant on diagrams, tables, maps or other visual components that require back-and-forth referencing pose a significant challenge in audio format without the ability to quickly flip pages or re-examine images at will. Dense academic texts, manuals, and reference books are also often better served through printed pages that permit random access and note-taking directly on pages.
Even works of literary fiction or narrative non-fiction employing complex, interwoven plotlines can lose nuanced layers without being able to visually browse the book as a non-linear whole. For materials intended for analysis, fact-checking, or repeated usage as a reference guide, the auditory medium remains at a disadvantage compared to the immersive control offered through active reading of a physical text. Certain written works seem best appreciated to their fullest visual potential between covers rather than solely in audio form.
Pros and Cons of Audiobooks vs. Active Reading
Audiobook Pros:
- Can consume content anytime, anywhere such as during commutes, chores, exercise, etc. when visual reading isn’t possible.
- Leave hands free to multi-task, such as cooking, crafting, cleaning while listening.
- Professionally narrated versions can bring characters vividly to life through voice acting.
- Convenient downloads for listening on the go via phones, tablets, etc.
Audiobook Cons:
- Cannot randomly flip back to re-read passages at will like with a print book.
- May miss subtle details that encourage close analysis since listening is more passive.
- Some content like complex narratives, manuals or reference books is better experienced through visual reading.
Print Book Pros:
- Offers control to set own pace and re-read sections as desired.
- Forces active engagement through visual reading, which some research suggests aids retention.
- Ability to easily reference notes, diagrams, or flip between pages adds depth for complex topics.
Print Book Cons:
- Requires sitting down undistracted with no time limits, not as feasible in many modern lifestyles.
- Not practical to consume as actively when in situations requiring eyes-on attention.
- Limits portability to what can reasonably carried around all day.
Overall both formats offer valuable ways to experience stories and stay engaged in learning. The best approach relies on an individual’s needs, learning style, and available time/space in any given situation.
Science Weighs In: What Does Research Suggest?
While individual experiences will always vary, scientific studies to date have not found clear evidence that either audiobooks or print are definitively superior when it comes to comprehension and retention of information. Some research indicates reading may better support retaining intricate plot details or facts from dense texts. However, other experiments show listening can achieve comparable comprehension to reading, especially with supplementary note-taking or repetition of difficult passages.
Factors like multi-tasking, concentration levels, and personal learning styles also influence outcomes. Light tasks like walking or cleaning seem possible to do while listening without impacting understanding, but more demanding concurrent activities could interfere with full attention on an audiobook. Both mediums seem to enable comprehension when the right individualized focuses are applied case by case.
Overall, existing literature does not conclusively favor one format over the other from an academic perspective. Both appear to successfully foster engagement with knowledge and stories depending on personal situations and material being consumed. For the latest insights on this topic, I suggest reviewing research published in educational and psychology journals to continue exploring what scientific examination has uncovered about these different methods of interacting with the written word.
Listening Is Better Than Not Experiencing A Story At All
From the earliest epics recited by wandering storytellers to modern times, the oral tradition has long been a cherished way for cultures to share, discuss, and foster appreciation for literature. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey may be Greek civilization’s oldest surviving works of Western literature precisely because they were composed to beamish rhythms meant to be heard, not read in silence. The catchy cadences and vivid scenes would capture audiences’ imaginations equally well today if recited with passion.
We see echoes of this tradition in modern society’s love affair with podcasts. People gladly fill commute and chore hours tuning in to listen to conversations, not silent reading on a screen. Audiobooks allow revisiting classic novels that intimidated readers’ limited free minutes. If listening formats make literary and intellectual works more approachable for busy modern lives, that access must strengthen culture overall.
