The Health Benefits of Audio

“A good story is a good story from the brain’s perspective, whether it’s audio or video or text.” ~Dr. Paul Zak

Listening on the go has become a popular activity for people of all ages, and for good reason. Podcasts, audiobooks, and exciting Audio Adventures are three kinds of popular audio entertainment options available today. They are convenient and fun, but there are plenty of other reasons why choosing audio over other entertainment or learning mediums is actually good for you. 

Focusing Skills

We live in an era where everything, and I mean everything, seems to be competing for our attention. It seems like we can’t even enjoy a single meal without checking our texts/email/social media/news/entertainment/whatever on our smartphones! Listening to an engaging story in the audio-only format helps train the brain to focus on one single task at a time, rather than zoning out to mindless entertainment. This may sound a bit unproductive to some, but really, it’s a good way to increase focus and concentration skills. Audio is healthy for your brain!

Grow Empathy and Boost Oxytocin

Without our eyes (and a screen) available to do the work for us, as we listen to audio, we must paint a picture of the story in our minds. Research suggests that this type of activity causes us to become more connected and empathetic about the story, the characters, and the content involved. One particular study monitored oxytocin levels in subjects that listened to audio. Research found that oxytocin in the blood stream increased dramatically while a listener was exposed to moving and emotional scenes.

Scientists have called oxytocin “the most amazing molecule in the world.” This remarkable molecule plays a crucial part in creating intimacy, enabling us to forge relationships with others, and strengthening our trust. Oxytocin also helps stabilize many psychological and physiological processes. It’s been said that oxytocin is one of the most crucial ingredients to making us human.

One study at the University of Waterloo showed that traditional audiobooks were less stimulating than a dramatized audio production of the same story. The structure of the audio drama was more engaging to the listener and activated more of their imagination than the narration-only style of audio. Participants in the study reported being more emotionally alert and interested in the story when listening to a drama versus an audiobook.

Academic Support

From the educational aspect, audio listening can help tremendously with meeting your educational goals! Here are just a few benefits of audio that researchers and educators have found:

• It allows students to enjoy books or material above their reading level
• Models good interpretive reading
• Increases comprehension
• Introduces new genres that students might not otherwise consider
• Highlights new vocabulary words and technical terminology
• Teaches multiple subjects at once (history, geography, science just to name a few)
• Acquaints the listener with various types of dialects, accents, and vocal differences
• Provides a bridge to important topics of discussion

At times, listening can even offer major educational advantages over reading, especially with difficult material like Shakespeare. That’s because audio focuses on prosody, the musicality of words. Prosody allows us to really experience what the author meant as he or she wrote it in the written form. Think of the famous words of Hamlet:  “to be or not to be…” How powerful those words become when heard aloud in audio form!

So there you have it … audio drama is good for you! Have you had your dose today?