Hey everyone, I'm Oliver and welcome back to the Easy English Podcast.
Today we are talking about audiobooks.
So listening to audiobooks.
Audiobooks have become so much more popular over the last number of years, not just for language learning, but also for people who just want to listen to books, maybe when they exercise or are driving.
And, of course, audiobooks have been around for a long time, But new services, such as Audible so the Amazon software or service have made them grow in popularity.
So they have become much more popular.
And as I drive, so I drive a car a lot for my job.
So I work in sales and I drive around a lot visiting different customers and areas, and because I spend so much time in the car, I like to listen to things.
Sometimes I listen to music, but most of the time I listen to podcasts or audiobooks.
And probably for the last year or so, I listen to a lot of podcasts.
But recently, I have been trying to listen to more audiobooks.
And the reason for that is when I listen to audiobooks, I feel like I am learning something, and I do learn things on various topics.
And of course, sometimes I listen to, or most of the time, I listen to non-fiction books.
So non-fiction is something which isn't real.
Or sorry, is real.
My head is...
Not working.
My brain is not working today.
So nonfiction is something which is real.
So for example, history or science, it's an informational book.
Fiction books are books based on fantasy or something that isn't real.
Like a story.
It's made up.
It is not real.
So I love listening to non-fiction.
So things based on real things.
Like a science book or a history book.
And sometimes, of course, I listen to fiction books too.
So like a story.
But today I want to look at an article which is looking at the benefits of audiobooks for all readers.
So not just language learners, but for you in your own language too.
This article looks at eight benefits of audiobooks.
These are both mental, so for the brain, and physical benefits as well.
The first they've put is that audiobooks build crucial listening skills for children.
So they help children to learn to listen and understand and also to remember things.
But this is not just true for children.
It can also be true for you, for example, with another language.
Listening to that language with audiobooks or podcasts just like this one, helps you to process the language and become better at remembering that language, at understanding it and kind of comprehending or translating it in your mind, and also for learning words too.
So really every aspect of language learning.
It's great for kids learning their native language or for someone learning a second language.
Some other studies also show that audiobooks have the same benefits as reading.
So when I first started listening to audiobooks, I thought, hmm, this seems like cheating.
So it seems like I am taking an easy option.
I'm not reading from paper.
And I like to read books as well, so not just listen.
But I find that doing both is the best.
There are times when I can't read.
So when I'm driving or when I'm at the gym and I want to just listen to something.
But some research anyway shows, and they looked at nine participants while they read and listened to the same book.
And they saw that the same areas of the brain were used and stimulated regardless, so it doesn't matter if they were reading or listening to the book.
So both have benefits.
But I think that using both so not only listening to English, but reading it too is very beneficial or helpful for us.
Another benefit is that listening to audiobooks can help us to sleep.
So when we listen to audiobooks, it helps us to relax our eyes.
We don't have to look at anything.
And yeah, not looking and focusing with our eyes helps them to relax.
It means we're not looking at screens either and might help us get better sleep.
But another way so not having to use our eyes is beneficial is, of course, that you can listen and practice if you're language learning or just learning something from a new book while you do something else.
This was a huge benefit for me when I started to use audiobooks.
I found, wow, I can do two things at once.
So I can do something which I do automatically, like driving or washing dishes, and I can be learning something at the same time.
This is amazing, I thought.
And that might be what you're doing right now.
You could be listening to this podcast with me talking in English and you could be doing something else, like household chores, like cleaning, washing dishes driving,
And that's fantastic.
It's a great way to make extra time in your day for the habits and the routines that we want to do.
So good on you if you're doing that.
It can really help with our time management, which is fantastic.
Another point I think is really underrated with audiobooks is that, especially when you're listening to a fiction book, so a story, often it is read by the creator of that book or even a really good voice actor.
Maybe from the movie version of the book, for example.
For example, I listened to the Lord of the Rings books.
I love Lord of the Rings.
I've read them and I wanted to listen again to the books.
And they were narrated, so they were read by the actor that plays Smeagol or Gollum in the movies.
And that was so cool to hear his voice read the books.
So with these books you can often get a really good narrator or a reader that reads the books, and it can make the experience even better.
But listening to this episode, I don't want you to think that wow, I should just listen to audiobooks and not read books.
I think reading is fantastic and I've made a separate audiobook or not audiobook a about reading books.
They have so many benefits for our brain.
Even reading in our own native language is something that so many of us don't do enough of.
Reading is almost a lost art in many cultures nowadays with the growth of screens and screen time.
But I encourage you to pick up a book, start reading and you will notice a huge difference in the way your brain works.
It focuses us It improves our memory.
Um, it's so beneficial in so many ways.
Um, but likewise, I think audio books have a million benefits themselves too.
They are two very different things.
Um, so to conclude my question, I don't think audio books are better than reading books.
Um, I think they are different and really good in their own right, so in their own way.
Thank you for listening to this episode.
Let me know in the comments below if you listen to audiobooks and what audiobooks you have listened to.
I hope you have an amazing rest of the day and I will see you in the next episode of the podcast.
Goodbye.
