There are very few activities in life where we can multitask in a productive way. Researches have shown that by and large, multitasking is a myth, and that the technology we use to do two things at once may be “affecting our ability to concentrate, manage our emotions, [and] even think creatively.”
But what about when the brain is relatively idle and the body is occupied? There’s evidence to suggest more and more people are turning to audiobooks to transform low-attention activities such as exercising, commuting, knitting, quilting, and cross-country flights into quality learning time.
An article in the New York Times on expanding the market for audio books reports that “sales of audiobooks were estimated at $1.2 billion in 2011, up 13 percent from 2010, according to the most recent data available from the Audio Publishers Association. Downloaded audiobooks accounted for 58 percent of unit sales in 2011, up from 49 percent in 2009.”
Smartphones and portable MP3 players have made it more practical to transform multi-CD audiobooks into tiny digital files. In addition to catching up on a little escapism with your favorite bestseller, audiobooks are a great way to take a crash course and expand your empathy with literary fiction.
Expand your empathy? That right. A recent study found ”that after reading literary fiction, as opposed to popular fiction or serious nonfiction, people performed better on tests measuring empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence — skills that come in especially handy when you are trying to read someone’s body language or gauge what they might be thinking.”
Audiobooks used to be an expensive endeavor, but now sites like Audible.com (an Amazon company) offer free 30-day trial memberships and plans as low as $14.95/month. With unabridged audiobooks clocking in at several hours (to as many as 40!), they represent a tremendous value.
No time to read? Rest those weary eyes and transform your downtime with audiobooks!
