More than 40 percent of Americans believe that listening to audiobooks is less rigorous and does not count as reading, according to recent discussions among education scholars. However, cognitive neuroscientist Nadine Gaab and other experts at Harvard University challenge this view, emphasizing that the learning process is fundamentally the same whether one reads a print book or listens to an audiobook.
Gaab, who holds the Silvana and Chris Pascucci Professorship in Learning Differences at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, stated, “The theory of learning styles has been debunked. It’s not the case that someone learns better by listening or by reading. You may have a preference, but learning is sort of the same regardless of the modality.”
She explained that reading is a complex skill involving brain regions responsible for sound and language processing—skills essential for learning to read. The neural networks engaged in processing written and oral language are closely connected and largely overlap when people read print books or listen to audiobooks.
“There isn’t much of a difference between the brain network for reading and the brain network for language comprehension,” said Gaab. “The brain area we call the ‘letter box,’ which processes print, is not as engaged when you listen, but it has been shown that when some people listen to words, they visualize them, so the letter box gets activated as well.”
Despite skepticism in some circles where listening to audiobooks may be seen as “cheating,” Gaab rejects this notion. She points out that both formats offer unique advantages: while readers can easily review passages in print books, audiobooks provide voices and sounds that can make stories more engaging.
Librarians at Harvard also support removing any stigma around audiobooks. Alessandra Seiter, community engagement librarian at the Harvard Kennedy School, suggested readers should focus on their purpose for reading rather than format preferences. “There is nothing wrong with audiobooks,” Seiter said. “There is no purity about reading words on a page.”
Alex Hodges, director of Monroe C. Gutman Library at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, noted practical differences between formats: print texts allow highlighting and note-taking which might help retention; audiobooks may create a more relaxed experience.
Laura Sheriff, librarian for Cabot Science Library as well as Fine Arts and Lamont libraries at Harvard, observed how children sometimes begin with audiobook versions—such as those from “Harry Potter”—and later purchase print editions after being drawn into stories through audio.
Educational linguist Paola Uccelli highlighted broader benefits: “In both formats, readers encounter not only new information but also text-specific linguistic patterns — and new possibilities for making meaning through language — well beyond what they are likely to experience in casual conversations.” Uccelli added: “Audiobooks, particularly when students find them engaging and have opportunities to participate in book discussions, can be a powerful tool for helping developing readers expand not only their background knowledge but language resources essential for making meaning from text.”
Gaab’s research examines how people learn across all ages with an emphasis on language development and reading skills. She often recommends parents encourage children with reading difficulties to use both audiobooks and print books because motivation remains key: “The most important thing is that children are motivated to learn and excited to read.”
Gaab concluded by reminding adults about their own early experiences: “If you’re a good reader as an adult, it does not matter whether you read it or you listen to an audiobook. We all start as listeners to audiobooks. As children, we were sitting in our parents’ laps while they read books to us. So we all have been audiobook lovers at some point in our lives.”
