Why Audio Books? by Elizabeth Alsobrooks

Listening to audio books is growing in popularity, especially during Covid. Why? Plenty of reasons. One good reason for even children to listen to audio books is that it increases vocabulary and pronunciation. Hearing how a word sounds helps add it to a person’s lexicon. It also helps develop fluency. Listening to the way a narrator (who by job description needs to be fluent) pauses or emphasizes words or phrases helps build fluency awareness and skill.

This doesn’t take much time, either. Audio books help those with little spare time get in some reading, because they can do it during a commute, while doing housework, or even while taking a bath.

No matter when a person finds it convenient to use an audio book, it helps improve their critical listening skills, a skill at which we could all use some improvement. Rather than thinking about what we’re going to say next, we must genuinely listen to the speaker (narrator) in order to hear and analyze character names and characteristics and aspects of the plot. This helps improve our focus and attention spans and develop better critical thinking and comprehension skills.

It also helps us improve our memory skills because we must remember the names and relationships and actions of various characters and plot twists.

Reading the book, it’s said, is always better than seeing the movie, but when you listen to a narrator read the story to you, you gain an interesting and lively perspective on the story. Narrators by trade are enthusiastic and skilled story tellers. You still get to form the images and your own opinions of the events and characters, while hearing a narrator’s tone may actually help you develop empathy for characters.

Speaking of seeing, audio books are a huge benefit to those with poor or no eyesight, but they are also good for the average American who spends up to 7 hours a day looking at a computer screen. It saves you from more eye strain. Reading with your eyes shut is actually pretty relaxing, just the same as listening to soothing music.

This is why listening to audio books boosts mental health—according to Psychology Today, listening to audio books interrupts negative thinking patterns. This is especially helpful to those who suffer from anxiety or depression. During the mandatory isolation of Covid, this could be about anyone.

Physically, it saves your back from carrying around a lot of heavy books. You can have dozens on a single thumb drive. You can also bike, jog, walk, exercise, or do housework while listening to audio books.  Getting some fresh air while you listen to an audio book is a great way to lighten your mental load from all the forced indoor isolation of the era of Covid.

So, why audio books?  A better question might be why not! These days, they’re flying off the shelves--or across the cosmos.

Click on the above pics to purchase one of mine. You can even get them free for trying out audible books for the first time. Happy listening!