Social distancing and self-isolation in the face of coronavirus can affect our mental health. Fortunately, audiobooks are a useful tool to combat negative thoughts and feelings.
here are 8 ways audiobooks can improve your emotional and physical health; all you need to do is press play. Do you need some inspiration to listen? take a look at the audiobooks recommended by bookstores.
You are reading: Benefits of listening to audio books
Audiobooks develop crucial listening skills for children
According to the Audio Publishers Association, audiobooks help “develop and improve vital literacy skills, such as fluency, vocabulary, language acquisition, pronunciation, phonological awareness, and comprehension, skills that reading scores often improve. Need some audiobook recommendations for kids? go to the kids page.
Audiobooks Help Reduce Negative Thinking
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Audiobooks have the power to improve our mood and disrupt negative thought patterns. psychology today notes that for “those of us prone to anxiety and depression. . . listening to someone else read aloud can help replace negative thoughts with something else.”
audiobooks have the same benefits as reading
Don’t let anyone tell you that listening to audiobooks is cheating. Discover noted that “in a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley Gallant Laboratory scanned the brains of nine participants as they read and listened. . . Looking at brain scans and data analysis, the researchers found that the stories stimulated the same cognitive and emotional areas, regardless of the medium.”
audiobooks help relax your eyes…
Most Americans spend more than seven hours a day looking at digital screens, which can lead to blurred vision, eye strain, and long-term vision problems like nearsightedness. On top of that, studies have suggested a link between social media use and feelings of loneliness and depression, another reason to put on an audiobook and hang up the phone.
… which directly impacts our sleep
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Blue light from screens is a disruption to our circadian rhythm, making it hard to fall asleep at night. listening to an audiobook allows your eyes and mind to relax while giving you a good night’s sleep.
Audiobooks Improve Time Management
Being able to work our brains and read books while doing tasks like driving, cleaning or exercising is beneficial for everyone, and allows less satisfying tasks to become more enjoyable, reducing stress.
audiobooks help develop literacy skills
The Audio Publishers Association notes that “readers with learning disabilities and English language learners who listen to audiobooks demonstrate increased literacy skills and reading ability.”
audiobooks immerse you in another world
psychology today cites audio as “one of the most intimate forms of media: listeners work together with the narrator and author to create mental images of situations and characters. Audiobooks can capture the imagination, allowing listeners to create a whole world within and outside of themselves at once.” being able to escape from our daily worries is a powerful tool that we can easily take advantage of through the wonder of audiobooks. (p.s. Need tips on creating an inviting space for reading and listening? Check out this post on how to create the perfect book nook.)
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