Reading is an enjoyable experience, it’s beneficial entertainment, and it’s good for you, too. According to Psychology Today, reading can lower symptoms of depression and anxiety, older adults who read have a 20% reduction in mortality compared to those who do not, and bibliotherapy is a new strategy being used in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy to treat certain mental health conditions. In short, investing in a good book is investing in your overall well-being.
Are audiobooks the same? Do they provide the same benefits as reading a traditional book? According to a 2016 study conducted by Beth Rogowsky of Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, they do. During this study, three groups of adults were given a nonfiction book to read on an e-reader, read with a traditional book, and listen to with an audiobook. What it found was that the comprehension, reaction, and absorption of the material was the same on all three modalities. Additionally, all groups of readers experienced the same reading benefits.
For busy women in business, compassionate leaders, and other professionals, digging into a good book can be tough. You have to find the time when time feels short already. Audiobooks are a solution to this problem. You can listen at the office, listen during your commute, listen while you’re making dinner, and even listen at the gym. They allow you to keep your books at your fingertips like never before. For this reason, we at Technalink found it important to have The OM Factor on audiobook; to make it not just beneficial, but accessible to those who may need its message the most.
5 surprising benefits of listening to audiobooks include:
1. Audiobooks improve listening skills – We listen all day long, but how well do you really do it? Audiobooks help you to follow along and practice active listening; a skill that will transfer naturally to your everyday life.
2. Improves communication skills – Unlike reading a traditional book, audiobooks allow you to hear pronunciations, emphasis, and inflection from a professional narrator. This can work to improve your own communication skills.
3. Builds focus – Audiobooks will make the listener focus more than reading a traditional book. When reading a book independently, you have time and opportunity to allow your mind or eyes to wander. Audiobooks aren’t going to unintentionally take a break. This works to improve your everyday focus as well.
4. Helps to prepare for sleep – Reading traditional books can sometimes cause eye strain, which may make preparing for sleep a little more difficult. With an audiobook, you can simply close your eyes, immerse yourself in the narrator’s voice, and drift off calmly.
5. Can enhance creativity – The ability audiobooks have to immerse the reader can work to enhance creativity and innovation. You can fully give yourself to what you’re reading, allowing your mind to take in what it’s absorbing and transform it into creative ideas.
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