“Audiobooks are cheating” (what the science says)

🌳 Explore the free Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com Whenever someone argues that audiobooks "don't count" as real reading, it almost always comes down to effort. Print requires more cognitive effort and must be better for you... right? I assumed that because audiobooks feel easier, they must be doing less for our brains. But when I looked into the research, that’s not what the science shows at all. Let's head into the woods to talk about cognitive load, how our brains judge mental effort, and whether reading that feels harder is actually better. I've got a bunch of research for this one, y'all, and it's all linked below. 🥾 KEEP EXPLORING Why focusing on writing feels so exhausting (and how to fix it) →    • Why focusing on writing feels so exhaustin...   💌 TRAIL JOURNAL A personal note for each Writing Woods video → https://writingwoods.com/subscribe ⏱️ TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Why audiobooks feel easier 01:00 - Does effort help us learn? 03:18 - When difficulty becomes cognitive load 05:11 - Why we value effort 07:05 - Can doing hard things change us? 08:51 - How effort adds meaning 11:53 - Reading and long-term brain health 14:26 - Is print actually more effortful? 17:54 - Print and audio demand different kinds of effort 19:22 - Harder does not automatically mean better 🔗 PROFESSIONAL EDITING Work with me → https://victoriagriffin.com/editing 🎧 PODCAST Spotify → https://writingwoods.com/spotify 📖 RESOURCES • 06:48 — Writing Woods community: https://writingwoods.com • 00:13 — The audiobook debate was never about reading:    • “Audiobooks don’t count” was never about r...   • 01:48 — Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab: https://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/resea... • 02:33 — Benefits of Accumulating Versus Diminishing Cues in Recall: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2011.01... • 03:18 — Cognitive load theory: https://doi.org/10.1016/0959-4752(94)... • 05:11 — The Effort Paradox: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2018.0... • 07:21 — Learned industriousness: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.99.... • 07:57 — Training Willpower: Reducing Costs and Valuing Effort: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.69... • Cognitive Load and Listening Effort: https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.000000000... • 15:46 — A Potential Bias in Subjective Ratings of Mental Effort: https://doi.org/10.1044/2018JSLHR-H-1... • 16:25 — Comparing Verbal Working Memory Load: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2020.11... • 17:47 — Instructional Benefits of Spoken Words: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2011... • 11:59 — Reading activity prevents long-term decline in cognitive function: https://doi.org/10.1017/S104161022000... • 12:11 — Cognitive leisure activities and future risk of cognitive impairment and dementia: https://doi.org/10.1017/S104161021600... • 12:41 — Modifiable lifestyle factors and cognitive reserve: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2021.10... • Protocol: Recreational book reading for promoting cognitive functioning: https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1117 • Hearing intervention to reduce cognitive decline: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23... • 10:16 — An Experimental Longitudinal Intervention to Boost Well-Being 📌 FOLLOW Instagram →   / vgriffinauthor   Facebook →   / vgriffinauthor   ⸻ #WritingCommunity #WritingTips #WritersLife #WritingWoods