#202 | Special Edition: Audiobooks vs Books (Or, 7 Reasons Why Listening is Not Reading)

episode SUMMARY:

Douglas Vigliotti delves into the modern debate of listening to audiobooks versus reading books. With seven compelling reasons why listening is not the same as reading, Vigliotti challenges listeners to consider the unique qualities and intimate experience that only reading books can provide. From novels to nonfiction, prepare to question your own reading habits and gain a deeper appreciation for the art of writing.

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Welcome back to “Books for Men”, a podcast to inspire more men to read and bring together men who do. So this week I have a hair-raising episode I'm sure for some people, and it’s titled “Audiobooks vs Books (Or, 7 Reasons Why Listening Is Not Reading)”. Now I know that this is going to ruffle a few feathers as I've already alluded to, but it's a conversation that I do find myself in quite a bit as I talk about books and it is one that I will get into in detail in this episode. But before I do that, I did want to remind you that if you are a regular listener, please remember that there are two major ways that you can support this podcast and the initiative more importantly, which is to inspire more men to read, and that is to subscribe on whatever podcast platform you're listening to this on or sharing with a friend or a family member.

(01:07)

Either one of those two things will help more people find the show and as I just mentioned, support the initiative. So if you could find it in your heart to do either one, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, I did want to remind you that there is a newsletter companion to this podcast and you can sign up for that at BooksforMen.org, and it's just one monthly email that rounds up all of the episodes from that month with episode summaries, full book information, all the best quotes and newsletter only book recommendations. I think it's great for people who either don't listen to every episode or they are a reader but they're short on time and they want to be able to pick and choose what episodes to listen to, or maybe they just want to stay in the know and prefer to do so via written word as opposed to audio.

(02:03)

Funnily enough, that's something I'm going to be talking about in this episode. Either way, if you find yourself in any of those buckets, then head over to BooksforMen.org and sign up for the newsletter. Alright, so that leads us into the meat of the episode, which is again titled “Audiobooks vs Books (Or, 7 Reasons Why Listening Is Not Reading)”. So audiobooks, why do I have a bone to pick with audiobooks? I want to be clear in saying I don't necessarily have an aversion to audiobooks. I just think that they are vastly different than books. So when people tell me they are reading books but they're really listening to audiobooks, I don't view it as the same thing. And that's not to look down on the individual who is listening to audiobooks, but there are some very distinct clear differences between reading the book versus listening to the audiobook.

(03:05)

So I have to start with saying that the audio form in general is very passive. This is what has lent itself to be so attractive for so many people and really is the foundational element to why podcasting and audiobooks have become so popular because we could do these things while we're doing other things. And if you don't believe me or you're thinking I'm taking too hard of an edge on this, then just think about yourself. When was the last time you sat down and listened to a podcast in a chair with nothing else going on around you? Chances are pretty slim that you did that, and it's probably pretty slim for an audiobook too. Most people listen to podcasts and audiobooks and music even in their car while they're washing dishes, while they're taking a shower, while they're doing something on the computer.

(04:05)

I don't know, it's usually secondary to something else that you are doing. It may be the focal point of entertainment while you're doing what you're doing, but it's usually done in conjunction with something else. And I hope I'm not sounding like on a high horse right now because I do the same thing. I listen to audio in the same fashion that most people do. I will say that I do make it a point with music to read the lyrics and listen to the music at the same time because I do think it elevates the experience. In fact, I did a whole column on my website for a couple of years titled Lyrics. I love that advocated for this form of engagement with music, but I don't want to digress too far off the beaten path here. I do have a lot to cover. With that being said, I do want to make it clear that I am not bashing audiobooks as much as I am, hopefully just making the case for reading the book over listening to the book.

(05:12)

So for that latter piece, listening to the book, what do I think that listening is good for? I think it's good for enjoyment. I think it's good for ease. I think it's great for another way to consume a story, especially if it's nonfiction because I really think nonfiction does get amplified by the author's voice. In fact, I think it's significantly worse in nonfiction when the author doesn't read his own work. But that's just my opinion. In fact, the only audiobooks that I've ever listened to that weren't my own, of course, while recording them, were in the nonfiction realm for fiction. It's a much harder sell for me to listen to an audiobook. Again, I think it's great for entertainment, enjoyment, ease, story, and all of the things that I mentioned just moments ago. But there's something elemental that is lost for me when you introduce actors, whether they're voice or otherwise because those actors can either amplify or reduce the story, which has very little to do with the writing.

(06:28)

The writing is one of the biggest reasons why I am such an advocate for reading the book because in my viewpoint, this is the art. And if we lose our ability to appreciate writing on a page, it's very easy to slowly lose the art form itself as time progresses. And to me, it starts with the notion that audiobooks are the same as books. This isn't to say that sound isn't important when you are writing or to the form because sound is critical. Words have rhythm, and I often advocate and do myself for people to read their writing out loud to see how it sounds. But when a consumer reads those words on the page, it is much different for a few reasons that I will share with you momentarily. I will conclude this by saying even when a novelist reads their work out loud, I don't know if anyone's ever been to a reading or heard a novelist do this before.

(07:39)

In my opinion, it's quite boring and the work doesn't get illuminated unless, of course, that author is also a good actor, which does happen. I mean, David Sedaris who writes nonfiction, of course, is a good example of this, but most of the time readings are boring. I hate to say it, but they just are. It's much better to just read the work yourself because that is the synthesis of the art form that includes how words look on a page or how the font in the book is typeset. And most importantly, how a book feels in your hand. Every book feels and has a different kind of readability, all of the tactile elements of a book, and the physicalness of it is lost. And I get it. Maybe you just want to know what happens in the story, and any author should be so lucky that you even want to know that about their work.

(08:39)

But here's where I want to begin to tackle the seven reasons why listening is not reading. It's what you're giving up when you are listening to an audiobook. So it's great for entertainment and you could learn a lot from it. Most people pick up a book because they either want to be entertained or they want to learn something new. And you know what? I think that those are great reasons to read any book or listen to an audiobook for that matter. But here's what reading a book does that no other form of entertainment can do. And that goes for online articles, that goes for audiobooks, podcasts, your favorite AI model, ChatGPT, Twitter or X, whatever they're calling it, TikTok, Netflix, YouTube. None of these forms of entertainment have these qualities combined and one is length, and two is that it's less reactive.

(09:41)

While being very intimate, these two elements combined make things land differently. This is critical to why reading is different than listening is listening intimate? Yes, I a hundred percent think it is. I also think it's more reactive, and I also think that because it's passive, it doesn't have the same type of resonance that reading does. And when you combine that with length, it doesn't land the same way as reading would again, length in the fact that it is a less reactive, yet very intimate form of entertainment means that things are going to land differently. Most of the time in life. People want a direct response, I do this, I get this. And reading doesn't necessarily offer that. It's the difference between hard skills and soft skills. So I always say hard skills, pay the bills, but soft skills, they'll make you better at whatever you do.

(10:54)

You need to view reading as developing super soft skills. This is how I like to phrase it, super soft skills. So there are soft skills that are going to make you better at life, make you a better human being. You don't see it while it's happening, but because of the form length and the fact that it's less reactive yet very intimate, consequently, things land differently on you, this form develops what I call super soft skills. So while learning and entertainment are totally reasonable reasons and most seen reasons for reading a book or listening to a book, it's these super soft skills that make reading books that much better. And while listening to books does offer some of these qualities, they don't even come close to reaching them at the degree that reading a book would again, because of the form super soft skill. Number one, reading books builds empathy for people not like you.

(12:10)

This is probably the most cited reason to read books and for a good reason. And for all of you out there who say, I could get that from listening to an audiobook, I will challenge you to read that same book and see which one hits harder and which one sticks longer. Again, the form is different, so this skill is not amplified to the degree that it can be super soft. Skill number two, reading books increases your ability to entertain differing ideas and opinions or difficult concepts and stories. This is my favorite soft skill to get better at, excuse me, super soft skill to get better at. It is something that we should all be doing more of. Again, because of the form, it's less reactive, yet very intimate. You could read things that you might not necessarily agree with or might be off-putting or any of that.

(13:12)

It doesn't land the same way. Reading makes things land differently. Super soft skill number three, reading books allows you to be alone with your thoughts. And if you're courageous enough, this gives you the time and space to think critically and freely. Super soft. Skill number four, reading books makes you more creative. This is because you have to create everything in your own mind. It works the all-important imagination muscle. You lose your ability to imagine if you don't use it. So this is obvious for creative people, artists, writers, painters, I don't know anyone, but it's just as important for regular people because creativity is foundational in your life. You create experiences, you create all kinds of stuff on a daily basis, whether you know it or not when you read because you're working that imagination muscle because you're building the story, it's collaborative with the author, you are strengthening it.

(14:23)

Super soft skill number five, reading books makes you more patient. This is because it helps you to delay gratification because books delay gratification. Delaying gratification is so important. And the fact that books force you to delay gratification to see how it's going to end to see what's coming next, that increases your ability to do so in other areas of your life. Super soft skill number six, reading books increases your ability to focus. Man, this is so important, especially right now as we are currently going through a cultural experiment of rewiring our brains for short-term attention. See, 60% of those other forms that I mentioned not too long ago, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, ChatGPT, anything. I don't know, everything is short-term. Now, now, now. Reading books hedges against this by building long-term attention spans. And lastly, super soft skill number seven, reading books forces you to slow down.

(15:42)

I just mentioned how we are going through a cultural experiment of rewiring our brains for short-term attention. And I said now, now, now, now this is something that we expect now, now, now, now, now. Scroll, scroll, scroll, click, click, click, fast, fast, fast. It's important to remember that slow is smooth and smooth is fast. And not only that length provides the necessary context for true comprehension. It is very hard to truly comprehend something in a bite sized way. And of course, I could go into great detail about all of these seven soft skills. I want to remind you of the key differences in the form of reading and listening. And while you can gain these things in small amounts, trace amounts by listening, watching, or what have you, reading because of the length, because of the fact that it's less reactive and very intimate means that things land differently.

(16:57)

And so these super soft skills are built in a way that no other form of entertainment or learning can do. I am a huge advocate and I'm very adamant about that. And believe me, I get it. I know you're busy. I know squeezing in actual reading doesn't seem like something that you can do and it's just easier to listen to the audiobook. But I urge you to build in 20 minutes, 30 minutes a day to reading 5, 10, 20 pages of something and getting used to reading a little bit each day to ultimately compound and say, I finished this book. That builds into the next one. And for the sake of time, I'm going to wrap this up, but I did need to conclude with this. If you are a writer, someone who wants to write books, write novels, reading the book is going to be the best teacher not listening to it.

(18:04)

You might be able to be entertained by the story, see when this plot twist happens, or all of that stuff. But reading the book is going to be the most important thing for you to write your own books, aside from writing of course. And if you're curious why that is the case, then perhaps you should go back and listen to the special edition on reading like a writer, it was last month or the month before. And I talk a little bit more in detail about the importance of reading like a writer if you are a writer, of course. Alright, I am officially done. I'm going to drop the mic, get off of my soapbox, and wrap this up. I want to thank you so much for listening and again, remind you that if you enjoyed this episode to please one, either share it with a friend, someone who you think might enjoy it, or perhaps would get something out of it.

(19:00)

And also subscribe on whatever podcast platform you're listening to this on because that is the best way for new listeners to find the show and support the initiative of inspiring more men to read. If you want to connect with me, you could always do so on Instagram @douglasvigliotti. It is the only social media that I have. And lastly, just as a reminder, if you are interested in listening to my 2021 poem collection titled “mini heartbreaks (or, little poems about life)”, it's unorthodox, it's raw, it's a mini-memoir of sorts in poetry form, you can listen to it on “Slightly Crooked: Good Stories, Told Well”. It's a podcast and the link is in the show notes. Thank you so much for listening and if you want more information on this podcast, always remember you could visit BooksforMen.org.