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Is listening to an audiobook the same as reading?

By Kobo • May 09, 2024Big Ideas in Books

Relax. Listening to an audiobook isn't "cheating".

From the perspective of cognitive science, listening is not so different from reading.

When book-loving friends get together and the conversation turns to what everyone's been reading lately, for audiobook fans that can raise an anxious question:

Can I say I've read a book if I listened to the audiobook?

There are a number of explanations for why we make such a big deal about how we experience books, but for an answer that puts an end to "reading vs audiobooks" anxiety we turned to the latest research.


The science of the reading brain

Cognitive scientists studying what’s going on in the brain while reading have developed what's known as the simple model. In this model, the act of reading printed words involves two actions working in tandem: decoding and language processing.

  1. Decoding: this is how our brains recognize the symbols on the page as words.
  2. Language processing: this is how we come to understand what words are supposed to mean.

Language processing is an ability that we all develop as we learn to speak and understand speech. It's a skill that's so fundamental to communication that nobody can really remember developing it in the first place.

By contrast, decoding is a skill that requires deliberate effort to develop—and usually some help from teachers and parents. When we learn to read as children, what we're learning is a) how to decode symbols on a page into words, and b) connect those words to the language processing skills we already have and are continuing to develop. Without the printed word, we wouldn't have to decode anything; language processing would be sufficient.

To put it another way, the part of our brain that processes language is working just as hard whether we read words on a page (or screen) or listen to an audiobook.

The act of reading consists of two actions working in tandem: decoding and language processing

Consider readers who struggle with dyslexia, a dysfunction in the decoding of visual symbols on the page: while dyslexic readers can perform the language processing part of reading like anybody else can, decoding visual symbols takes more effort for them. Studies have found that for these readers, audiobooks provide a helpful detour around decoding difficulty that lets them utilize their fully functional language processing abilities.

The part of our brain that processes language is working just as hard whether we read words on a page (or screen) or listen to an audiobook.

It’s also worth mentioning that the simple model, with its distinction between decoding and language processing, doesn't fully account for books that come across better through the spoken word. For example, vocal inflections that suggest an emotion or imply the meaning of an unfamiliar term through tone can provide more to a reader than words on a page.

But you don't have to have dyslexia to benefit from the cognitive efficiency of audiobooks.


Reading with your eyes vs. "reading" with your ears

Many wonder whether listening to or reading a book makes a difference in how much of the book you really engage with. A study looking into this found that people who read the same book (the researchers used Laura Hillenbrand’s non-fiction bestseller Unbroken) showed similar levels of reading comprehension—whether they read on a page, screen, or listened to an audiobook.

That is, whether those readers' brains had to perform decoding and language processing or just language processing alone, they were equally able to engage with the content of the book.

People who read the same book showed similar levels of reading comprehension—whether they read on a page, screen, or listened to an audiobook

Conclusion: it's all reading

We’ve been speaking—and listening—for eons longer than we’ve been writing and reading. The earliest evidence we have of written communication is 3500 years old, while oral communication is estimated to have originated over 600,000 years ago, evolving among pre-human hominids. Literature as a written medium is a relatively new innovation. Many of the books that sit on our shelves today were works of oral performance—such as Homer’s Iliad—back when they were new.

We’ve been speaking—and listening—for eons longer than we’ve been writing and reading

So relax. Listen to an audiobook while you go for a run or fold laundry. Enjoy reading when your hands or eyes are busy. Because we’re all different readers with different needs—and our needs can change over time. It’s up to each of us to learn which types of books work best for us on the page, screen, or out loud. However we read, what matters most is that we find the time to do it.

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Check out these books for more on the cognitive science of reading:

The Reading Mind: A Cognitive Approach to Understanding How the Mind Reads by Daniel T. Willingham

A brilliant, beautifully crafted, and accessible exploration of arguably life's most important skill: reading.

View eBook

Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf

Using down-to-earth examples and personal anecdotes researcher and literacy lover Maryanne Wolf embarks on a lively journey through the reading brain. She shows how the brain that read Sumerian cuneiforms on clay tablets is different from the brain that reads images on a computer screen. Just as writing reduced our need for memory, technology is reducing the need for written language—a change sure to have profound consequences for our future. Fascinating and revelatory for anyone interested in the science of the brain, for parents of young children learning to read, and for those who want to know more about dyslexia.

View Audiobook    View eBook

Raising Kids Who Read: What Parents and Teachers Can Do by Daniel T. Willingham

A practical perspective on teaching reading, with research-based, concrete suggestions to aid teachers and parents in promoting reading as a hobby. Includes age-specific tips for developing decoding ability, comprehension, and motivation in kids from birth through adolescence as well as information on helping kids with dyslexia and encouraging reading in the digital age.

View eBook

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