There are endless reasons why we love audiobooks—and plenty of those reasons have to do with the fact that audiobooks are not only enjoyable, but also benefit our mental and physical health.
In our 10 years as a company, we’ve had the chance to not only experience firsthand how reading on audio has benefited us as individuals, but also to learn what science has to say. Read on to learn more about the benefits of reading on audio, and don’t forget to check out all of our 10th Anniversary celebrations this month!
#1: Fit more reading into your life
Who doesn’t wish that they had more time to read? Before I started reading on audio, I was *that person* who took their physical books on walks (it’s quite dangerous—I do not recommend). But now, I am able to spend more time every day reading because of audiobooks. I read on walks, at the gym, while driving, doing chores—you name it. And when I see someone on a walk with their physical book, my own headphones in playing my current read, I smile to myself.
#2: Make “boring” activities more enjoyable
Speaking of chores: Audiobooks are a great way to pass the time. Whether you’re folding laundry, washing floors, cooking dinner, doing grocery shopping, or doing mindless work at your job (we won’t tell), knowing that you can read while checking off items on your to-do list can be motivating.
#3: Help reduce negative thinking
In a 2018 article for Psychology Today, author Sarah Rayner writes: “Those of us prone to anxiety and depression understand from bitter experience the negative spin cycle of thoughts that accompanies both mental states. Slowing these thoughts enough to read can be hard, if not impossible. Whereas audio does this for you. For those who find it difficult to quieten their inner demons, listening to someone else read aloud can help by replacing negative thoughts with something else.”
#4: Build listening and literacy skills
Reading on audio works our brain in a number of ways. In a 2020 report published by the National Literacy Trust, the authors write: “Different parts of the brain work harder when listening compared with reading, but for both activities the language comprehension part of the brain works in the same way. So where previous detractors might suggest that listening to an audiobook does not require the same cognitive skills as reading in print, studies suggest that, in fact, the opposite can be true.”
#5: Relax your eyes, and benefit your sleep
Just like children being read a bedtime story, having someone read aloud to us helps clear our mind before bed—unlike scrolling endlessly on our phones. Need a new audiobook to fall asleep to? Check out our Bookseller Picks.
#6: Increase vocabulary and pronunciation skills
Every now and then, someone on social media asks readers whether they prefer knowing how to pronounce a word or how to spell a word. Regardless of what your answer might be, audiobooks are perfect for the former. And this can especially benefit young readers and ESL readers. Shari Quan-Rios, a former ESL instructor, writes: “With audiobooks, students…can move past simple pronunciation and begin to finally comprehend what they are reading—the ultimate goal for ESL learners.”
#7: Immerse ourselves in a different world
Narrators are voice actors for a reason—they have the ability to captivate us, bringing a story all the more to life. This immersion only heightens when the book is narrated by a full cast.
#8: Give parents a break!
On a trip with your children, or maybe need something to entertain them while you’re finishing work or cooking dinner? Set out a puzzle or coloring equipment and turn on an audiobook for them! We have recommendations for young readers of all ages. (An added bonus is that audiobooks can help little ones get more into reading in the first place!)
#9: Discover reads we might not otherwise try
Maybe you love reading romance, but have always struggled with nonfiction, despite wanting to read more of it. Having a book read to you is a completely different experience—one that can help us expand our areas of interest and add more reading (and all the benefits that come with it) into our lives.
#10: They make reading more accessible
Beyond creating more space to read, audiobooks are incredibly important for those of us who might find them more accessible than physical books for a number of reasons, such as sight impairments, dyslexia, ADHD, etc. Reading on audio is reading, and we’ve designed Libro.fm with an accessibility-first approach.
How have audiobooks improved your life? Let us know!
And don’t forget to celebrate our 10th anniversary with us this June! With your help, we can make sure independent bookshops thrive for another 10, 20, 100 years, and more.