A young boy sits by the fire, absorbed in a story about his tribe. An elder relates the unrecorded history of their people as the children lean forward, their imaginations carrying them into another time. While they learn of the struggles, sorrows and victories of their ancestors, the boy returns to the present with a powerful thought: “One day, I will tell these stories to my children.”
Ancient storytelling was not simply a form of entertainment; in ancient cultures, listening was a very important part of learning. People listened carefully to stories, teachings and verses, and repeated them to remember what they had heard. It was a valuable method for preserving history, culture, traditions and values when written records were limited or unavailable.
From oral traditions to recorded books
With the development of civilization and the written word, reading gradually became the predominant form for learning. What was once shared mainly through the spoken word could now be recorded, printed and read by the masses.
Listening was still important, but it was increasingly used for entertainment. Especially with the advent of audio recordings and radio broadcasting, sound could be curated to individual tastes for home enjoyment.
Audiobooks were first introduced as a means to provide reading material to the visually impaired, but they gained popular appeal as recording formats became more and more convenient and accessible. Today, smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices give us unlimited access to audio recordings, and we can listen to books any time, anywhere.
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In essence, we have come full circle with our methods of receiving information. One may well wonder, which is better for learning? Can we use written and audiobooks in the same way? Let’s see what science says about it.
Studies regarding reading versus listening
When we read, information enters the brain through the visual system, while listening brings information through the auditory system. As these pathways are different, one might expect different results. However, a fascinating fMRI study from researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, looked at the brain activity of individuals who listened to and read the same stories. The findings showed that the brain’s representation of meaning was remarkably similar in both conditions. In other words, the brain can arrive at the same understanding whether the information arrives through the ears or the eyes.
Yet this does not mean that reading and listening always produce the same learning results.
A study by psychology professors David Daniel and William Woody compared students who read academic material in print with students who listened to the same material. The students who opted to be in the listening group scored 28% lower on a subsequent quiz than those who chose to read the textbook. The researchers concluded that podcasts could be useful as a supplement, but were less effective than text for delivering the main course material in that particular setting.
Another study, by Bloomsburg University Associate Professor Beth Rogowsky and her colleagues, produced a different result. Ninety-one adults were randomly divided into three groups, each with a different task — read an e-book, listen to an audiobook, and read and listen at the same time. Their comprehension was tested directly after completion, and again two weeks later. The researchers found no statistically significant differences between the three groups.
Why did the results differ?
One important reason for the discrepancy may be that different types of material require different processing. An engaging, flowing story is easy to follow through listening, while dense academic or technical material often requires readers to slow down, reread, make notes, and connect information from different parts of the text. A printed page naturally provides these opportunities because readers can control the pace and rely on visual landmarks to make connections.
It is also important to point out that an e-book is not the same as a real book. E-books offer advantages in convenience similar to audiobooks, but they also present similar drawbacks. Screen reading does not invite careful poring-over and re-reading when necessary. Our eyes are trained to keep moving forward with digital formats — we tend to miss things. In this sense, the Bloomsburg study may have been comparing apples with apples, while the psychology professors compared apples with oranges.
Another issue is that when we find the material interesting and engaging, it is easier to give it our full listening attention. If the attention wanders or listening becomes passive, comprehension and retention naturally drop significantly, hindering our academic pursuits.
In short, audiobooks are not poor for learning, but the content and the purpose both matter.
When listening to audiobooks works best
Audiobooks can be extremely useful for consuming books when reading is inconvenient.
We can listen while travelling, walking, doing chores or simply relaxing. A good narrator can also bring a story to life through voice, expression and emotion. For some people, listening makes books more accessible simply because reading is a challenge.
While reading printed text offers distinct advantages for deep study and difficult subjects, audiobooks help us consume more books, enjoy more stories, learn on the move, and expose us to more ideas and language.
So why not use both? We can read when we want to concentrate deeply, and listen when we want to make use of time that would otherwise be lost.
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