If you know me, you know I’ve always been a big reader. I also listen to a lot of podcasts while getting stuff done, but to be completely honest, I used to have a bit of a bias. I always assumed that reading physical books was superior to listening to them. In my head, sitting down with a printed book was “real” learning, and audio was just a convenient shortcut.
Then I stumbled across a video by The Upgrade with Makai Elías Calles called “What Scientists Found About Audiobooks,” and it totally changed how I look at both mediums.
It turns out scientists have actually studied this, and their takeaway blew my mind:
For basic comprehension, reading and listening are functionally equivalent.
Neither one makes you “smarter” than the other. But what really caught my attention was why each medium shines in different situations.
Here’s what I learned about when to pick up a book versus when to plug in your headphones:
1. Reading Wins for Deep Studying
If you’re trying to tackle complex, technical, or dense material—like a textbook or a heavy non-fiction topic—print is still king. Reading lets you self-pace. You can slow down on a tricky sentence, re-read a paragraph three times, or pause to let an idea digest. On top of that, your brain relies on visual and spatial memory—like subconsciously remembering that a specific point was at the bottom left page of a chapter—to map out and synthesise hard concepts.
2. Audio Wins for Experiencing Stories
For narratives, fiction, or lighter content, listening actually takes the lead. A story moves in a straight line, so you don’t really need to flip back and forth to memorise facts. The narrative flow carries you along naturally. Audio is incredible for turning “dead time”—like commuting, folding laundry, or walking the dog—into an immersive story experience.
3. The Real Secret: Attention > Medium
The absolute biggest lesson from the video was that the medium doesn’t matter nearly as much as your attention span. An audiobook you listen to with 100% focus will beat a physical book you’re skim-reading while checking your phone every two minutes.
If you want to actually retain what you listen to, the video gave a super practical tip: pause periodically and test your recall. Just taking five seconds to ask yourself, “Wait, what was the main point of that last section?” makes a huge difference in locking the information into your memory.
The Verdict
Look, I’m done calling one medium “superior” to the other, but I’ll be honest—I still personally prefer actual reading, whether that’s holding a physical paper book or scrolling through my e-reader. Audio is an amazing tool, and I’m definitely going to keep using it to experience great stories and learn on the go.
That being said… sorry not sorry, but if you listened to an audiobook, you listened to it—you didn’t read it! They might deliver the same info, but listening is still not reading in my book. Pun intended!
How about you guys? Are you team physical book, e-reader, audiobook, or a mix of all three? Let me know in the comments!
Eqbal Volinuskhi 
Leave a comment