The Benefits of Reading Audiobooks

Posted by Melissa Howard Aug 10, 2007

Reading is a mental activity. A reader uses his eyes to scan a page, uses his brain to decipher the text, uses his heart to understand the characters. I could go on listing the different ways the brain is exercised through the act of reading. I won’t. Obviously, there are numerous mental activities occurring all at the same time when one reads. Reading is exercise for the brain. Despite the fact that audiobooks shortchange the brain of some mental exercise when we listen rather than read, audiobooks are beneficial for many reasons. This post will tally up a short list of benefits:

Multi-Tasking: We live in a busy world. As a result, most people attempt to cut-corners or try to eliminate time-wasting activities. Reading is one of the first things to go. However, audiobooks can bridge the gap between time and one’s desire to read. You can listen to audiobooks while driving in your car, while working out, and while cleaning house. The list goes on. In fact, listening to an audiobook is a great way to get through a task you don’t want to do. Hate housecleaning? It won’t be so tedious when you listen to a good book.

Hearing the Words: The audiobook is a wonderful way to get through material that is difficult to read. Sometimes the problem is dialect or accent, sometimes the problem is unfamiliar terms or words (especially in books from a different era or culture), and sometimes it is simply an issue of style. Often, a good audiobook will take a book that you couldn’t slog your way through in the traditional paper format and make it an enjoyable experience. While audio books do not allow us to scan text and they eliminate other types of mental exercise that comes from deciphering the text, they do give us something very important. They allow the reader to appreciate the rhythm and sounds of words, which sometimes actually facilitates understanding and allows subtle nuances to come through.

Sharing: Audiobooks provide a family or a group of people the perfect medium for sharing a book at the same time. With an audiobook, there is no need to take turns reading a book or buying multiple copies. A group of people can sit and listen to a book together, and they are assured that apart from their personality and own experiences, which they bring to the book, they’ve shared the same story experience.

The Complete Story: When silently reading a book, a reader will often skip portions of text. Sometimes deliberately, because the description bores them or they are tired and want finish the story, but at other times, the omissions are accidental. Either way, part of the story is missed. When listening to an audiobook, the reader can’t scan ahead and miss something important.

What do you think? Take a poll about audiobooks.