Ask HN: Are there any studies about book reading retention rates vs. audiobooks?

A lot of people are saying audio books have less retention (which may be true), but are you accounting for what you're doing while listening to them?

For example, if you read a book, chances are you're 100% focused on the book, probably sitting or laying down in a quiet room.

On the other hand while listening to an audio book you might be driving, running errands or cleaning. Most of that is probably on auto-pilot but I have to imagine trying to multi-task whatever you're doing while absorbing content is going to cause a huge hit to retention.

I think it's worth exploring the above because I find that other than first hand experience I learn best by watching videos. It could be someone talking into a camera, or just slides, but in both cases I feel like I retain information better than just reading. However in this case, I'm also 100% focused on the task as if I were reading. Most of those videos could have just audio and it's basically the same thing (comparable to audio books).

I used to listen to lots of audiobooks b/c I had a long commute and I definitely agree that places get tied to specific passages. I believe it works both ways - re-reading books can sometimes make me remember the places and revisiting the places can remind me of the book that was playing. I'm now in Grad School and frequently listen to lectures during the drive. It makes test-taking interesting b/c some test questions cause me to think about geographic locations and then thinking about nearby geographic locations can sometimes remind me of the parts of the lecture that preceded or followed the material. Its the commuter's version of "Method of Loci".

Have you mostly used Android/Tablet based readers like the Kindle Fire or similar?

I have similar issues with lots of online services for more than just ebooks, but it seems like the e-ink devices (I use a Kobo) tend to be more minimal and focused on simple functionality.

Nothing will replace the smells and sensations of turning a physical page, but a basic e-ink device has made it much easier for me to read far more than I used to be able to (vastly more portable being the biggest improvement).

I switched to 90+% audiobook after being an avid reader my whole life. I think my eyes have gotten worse, so physically reading because tiring quickly.

The secret for audiobooks, for me, is to listen to them while walking. Currently doing about 50 miles / week, which gets me through 1-2 audiobooks (1.5x, but I rewind and replay a LOT).

I notice my attention is crucial, and varies depending on interactions while walking. When by myself, not crossing streets (down by the walking areas of my town), I can retain a ton.

YMMV, but for me the sweet spot of information consumption is while walking, so audiobooks + exercise beat reading, hands down.

I'm not aware of any study, but having listened to over a hundred audiobooks on the last few years, I would like to share my experience while listing to non-fiction.

My experience is that retention depends mainly on two factors: the amount of attention and quality of the reader. I prefer when the author is the one reading because many of them add comments and a special "energy" to the book.

I find the "car mode" on Audible very convenient to add bookmarks without disruption while I'm driving and I use at the gym as well.

Some books that I want to reference later I buy a paper-copy and mark with a highlighter on the same places I bookmarked on the Audible App.

While listening, the faster I play, the more attention I pay. I start at 2X and if I'm listening to the audiobook a second time, I can go up to 3X. 1X and 1.5X are for engaging parts or when I can't understand what is being said.

One thing I don't do is: listen while not able to pay attention. While dring it can be while going through a toll or navigating through unfamiliar streets.

With all said, the feature that I think is the most useful for retention is the Pause button. This way I can reflect on what I just heard and save the information on my brain's long-term storage.