6 Benefits of Listening to Audiobooks

Audiobooks are continuing to grow more popular, and if you haven’t listened to one yet you may be wondering what the hype is all about. You may even be reluctant to try something that may not replicate the cozy feeling of curling up with a book or e-reader in your hands. But don’t let those habits stop you from discovering the joy of audiobooks! If you need a little push, here are some benefits of listening to audiobooks.

Multitask like a pro
Do you often find yourself wishing you could spend more of your day reading? Meet audiobooks! They’re the perfect companion for everything from doing chores around your home to running errands to hitting the gym. Audiobooks turn the mundane into the exciting, and allow you to be productive in more ways than one.

Achieve your reading goals
Many readers set a goal for the number of books they hope to read in a year, and listening to audiobooks can help you achieve that goal in record time. Not only do audiobooks allow you to read during times when you can’t physically hold a book (like when you’re elbows deep in suds while washing the dishes), they also allow you to adjust the narration speed, meaning you can listen even faster than you would normally read.

Less screen time
Poor sleep, back and neck issues, eye strain—the effects of too much screen time are well-documented. Audiobooks offer you the ability to step away from screens, while still enjoying the books you’d typically read there. Plus with no need to hold up a physical book or turn the pages, you can rest on the couch and let a narrator transport you into a story with no more effort than pressing play.

Accessibility for more readers
There’s an unfortunate misconception that audiobooks don’t “count” or are “cheating,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, audiobooks help to broaden the number of people who can read a book because it’s a format that’s much more accessible. We want the book community to be as inclusive as it can be, and audiobooks help to make that possible.

Enhance vocabulary and literacy
The way our brains process information can change based on how we consume that information, and readers of all ages can benefit from listening to audiobooks. Not only are audiobooks incredibly helpful in increasing vocabulary and word-recognition ability, there have even been tests done that show hearing a phrase, as opposed to reading one, can help readers attach more meaning to it. 

Total immersion
A great audiobook narrator can bring characters to life through voice acting. Very often, this can even add another layer to your reading experience because you’ll be able to hear even more nuance in the characters’ voices than exists on the page alone, such as accents and tone. Don’t even get us started on how incredible full-cast audiobooks are!