Do Audiobooks Count as Reading?
Telling someone that one of your hobbies is listening to audiobooks used to be an indication that you were an older adult, but today, with the rise of people listening to podcasts, many have also normalized audiobooks. But, many, including myself, also wonder if it really counts as reading. This was a question that haunted me as I logged books on Goodreads to complete my yearly reading challenge. In 2021, I completed 21 books, but only 6 were ones I actually read – the other 15 were audiobooks. I knew that I loved to read from an early age, but audiobooks were fairly new to me. When I was teaching and needed to read a book fast so that I could teach it to my students, I would listen to audiobooks on my drives to and from work. Teaching didn’t leave much room for sitting down with a paperback. Now, I enjoy listening while I work to break up the monotony of staring at a computer screen all day. At times, I become so engrossed in listening to the book that I take a walk or continue listening at the gym.
I wondered if people had the same burning question as I did, so I took to my Instagram followers to take a poll on whether they believe audiobooks can actually be considered reading, and the results were a lot closer than I thought – out of approximately 100 people that participated, 54% voted that audiobooks do in fact count as reading, while 46% voted that they didn’t count, with one follower saying, “You don’t have to focus as much. Why not just watch the movie too?” This comment really got me reminiscing about my days as a teacher. There are three different types of learners: Visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or hands-on. Most people fall into the category of visual learners, which explains why many both enjoy and retain more information by watching a video, movie, or viewing a presentation, diagram, chart, etc. With auditory learners only making up about 30% of the population (St. Louis, Inc.com), it actually makes more sense that learning and retaining information through listening is arguably more difficult for most people.
Many claim that audiobooks aren’t reading due to the fact that a person can be doing other things while listening and, therefore, they can become distracted or disengaged. However, if those people are accustomed to learning through audio, then it’s possible they aren’t losing focus at all. In one research article from the National Literacy Trust by Emily Best that discusses the relationship between audiobooks and literacy, Best writes, “Pam Varley comments that 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. More recently, a 2016 US study tested the comprehension skills of 91 students after accessing a digital ebook and audiobook, or both together, and found no significant difference between outcomes relating to each condition.” An article from The Times mentions that the spatial attributes of traditional print increases retention of material. This means that seeing the words on the page helps the reader to remember the information better. However, I would argue that this isn’t lost in an audiobook but just done in a different way. In audiobooks, the listener pays attention to the tone of voice, inflection, and pace – the listener uses these clues in place of spatial awareness when reading print media. The same article cites students listening to a podcast performing significantly lower on a quiz than those who read a transcript of the podcast, but author, Markham Heid, notes that this could be a result of poor listening skills, and active listening can be something a person can practice and improve upon, which reiterates that some individuals have auditory learning styles.
To broaden the scope on this subject, I inquired with Hannah Orenstein, an author of three novels, about her own thoughts on the question. Orenstein lives in NYC and works as a Deputy Editor for Elite Daily. With her fourth novel, Meant to Be Mine (pre-order your copy here) releasing June 7 (perfect to bring on vacay), she is certainly well-versed in the world of books and stories. Without giving any of my own thoughts or opinions away, I simply asked Orenstein the question that had been plaguing me. She began by stating, “Listening to an audiobook definitely counts as reading. Reading is about exploring new worlds, entertainment, education, appreciating art, and so much more. To distill it to the act of moving your eyes across a page (or a screen) [misses] the point.” She expanded upon this further by bringing up a valid point that speaks to the diversity that each person holds, including disabilities. Orenstein quoted reading as being “ableist,” which brings up, even more, to think about such as how some people have difficulty with visual-spatial awareness and eye-tracking. This constraint may cause them to lose their place and have problems tracking the words on the page, inevitably affecting comprehension. Orenstein states that “Reading should be accessible to everyone, including people who have trouble reading small printed text or holding physical books.” To expand upon her response, we can include those will disabilities and other reading difficulties as well.
Many quote audiobooks as being a convenient way to listen to a story because you truly can listen to them anywhere. I myself would agree with Orenstein on listening to them while cooking or driving as well as bringing audiobooks instead of physical books if you don’t have the room (or sheer arm strength) to bring them along. Orenstein also mentions how powerful a story such as a memoir can be if the author themselves perform the audio because the listener can get a sense of the writer’s own voice and style. She also adds “Audio captures poetry's rhythm. Talented voice actors can bring a variety of characters to life,” and I couldn’t agree more. I recently listened to the memoir Educated that the author, Tara Westover, voices herself. I felt as though, especially for this genre, the story was much more authentic and raw because I could hear the emotion from Westover’s voice when it mattered – something I may have missed if reading the memoir in print.
When thinking about the question of whether audiobooks really count as reading, I believe we must first ask ourselves a few important questions about reading. Why do we read? What is the core purpose of reading? Do you genuinely pick up a book thinking that you’re going to increase your vocabulary and comprehension skills? Maybe, but probably not often. We read books to connect with writers and to ourselves or to escape to a world when our own is too much to bear (or when we’re stuck single and alone in our apartment during a pandemic). We read to learn about others’ experiences so that we can cultivate compassion, empathy, and understanding. Finally, we read to understand ourselves and to know that we aren’t alone in the struggles or triumphs we face. When you consider all this, does it really matter if you listen?
