You might have read my blog post about audiobooks and ableism. When someone calls listening to audiobooks lazy or cheating it directly hurts readers for whom audiobooks are the most accessible form of literature.
But I also have a few things to say in defense of all the many audiobook listeners who aren’t disabled and who are regularly confronted with how their favorite form of enjoying books is “less than”.
So, let’s talk about the so-called “lazy people” who don’t read “real books”. (Yeah, sorry, I’m literally air-quoting while writing this, taking my fingers off the keyboard to make super angry air quotes).
**The marked links and book covers on this page are affiliate links. If you use them to purchase something, I earn a fee at no additional cost for you. Disclosure**
#1 Listening to Audiobooks while doing Chores
Everybody will tell you how great audiobooks are while doing chores. And yet… audiobooks have this reputation of being a lazy thing.
You know what cleaning your house and doing mountains of laundry is NOT? Lazy.
It’s actually the exact opposite of lazy. It’s people working hard without being paid for it.
And the least you can grant them is a bit of entertainment and a chance to enjoy literature despite… you know… working all friggin’ day!
#2 Work and Audiobooks
I know a lot of audiobook fans who listen during their work. Depending on what your job is, that can really save you from going out of your mind with boredom. It’s actually one of the audiobook benefits I hear audio fans name most often.
You know what doing your job isn’t? Lazy.
But I’m repeating myself.
So, let’s talk about health again. This time, it will be about the smaller things that don’t tend to register as that much of a health issue…
#3 Resting Tired Eyes
After working at a computer all day, many people have tired eyes. When they want to enjoy a book in the evening (or not bother their eyes more by watching TV), an audiobook means they can rest their eyes and still get entertainment and relaxation.
And we all deserve to rest and relax!
#4 Motion Sickness
You might look at that person with headphones on public transportation and think: “They could have gone for a ‘real’ book, what’s their excuse?!”
But many people suffer from motion sickness, and the only way for them to read while being in a moving vehicle is an audiobook.
Everyone deserves to enjoy a nice book during their commute, or make their holiday trip more fun and relaxing with a good story.
#5 Getting More Reading Time
Many people, especially parents of younger children, don’t find much time in their daily life to sit down and read a book.
Audiobooks help them enjoy books on a regular basis and listen to one or more books in a week, instead of finishing maybe one print book every other month.
And you know what multi-tasking to increase your reading time is not? You guessed it: lazy!
Related article: Audiobooks vs Reading Ebooks or Print
Now, of course, I know that this isn’t exactly what people have in mind when asking if listening to audiobooks is lazy. But that’s the thing! In reality, most audiobook fans multi-task and enjoy their books super efficiently.
It’s easy to judge people based on our impression of them, and most of us (me, for sure) are prone to do it.
It takes a conscious effort to take a step back and remind ourselves that people might have very good reasons for the choices they make. That they aren’t taking the easy way out or are just lazy, but actually make the smartest choice for themselves and practice self-care. That their reasons for doing what they are doing might not be instantly apparent.
So, let’s all try to judge less and enjoy more audiobooks 🙂
Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 10 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 250 audiobooks per year has become the new normal and you will rarely see Eline without a wireless earbud. Romance and Fantasy are the go-to genres for this audiobook fan.
My friend shared this link when I shared your post. It’s enlightening!
https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/audiobooks-or-reading-to-our-brains-it-doesnt-matter
That’s a very interesting article! The findings match with what Professor Willingham says. I mentioned his research in this blog post.
As a great defender of audiobooks I can’t agree more. I am also an author so I like to squeeze in my book time while multitasking, since my other freetime is writing.
BTW… another great time is when the husband has control of the remote and is watching one of a million car shows. He wants me there to cuddles and I can listen to my book boyfriend of the day while still spending quality time with the hubby.
Haha, I understand that so well. I try to use my free time for my blog. So, my reading is best done while doing chores!
I listen to audiobooks in the car during my commute, and sometimes at other times as well.
However, I have encouraged my dyslexic children – and also my dyslexic students – to try audiobooks to help them get through a whole novel. And then, they will know what’s going on, plus they will still be able to find things when they have a test about the novel.
A good narrator make a book even better, which is totally awesome, too.
I don’t really care what other people say / think about me listening to audiobooks. In my opinion, we are all free to indulge our reading / listening habits any way we want to.
Great post, Eline.
Thank you, Linda!
Audiobooks and dyslexia is a topic I really want to research more soon. It’s very interesting! But yeah, I agree with you, we all have the right to enjoy literature the way we want and can! 🙂