When you read vs listen to a book, do you notice any specific differences in how you comprehend or absorb the material at hand?

I'm starting to learn about myself that I really need both. I'm reading Rick Rubin's book now after having listened to it and it feels like a completely different experience!

founder of eventcaster (@event / events.xyz), hosting /latenightcrew, member of 🍊 dao

I’m an audiobook-phile. If your goal is to comprehend or absorb  (vs passive entertainment) here’s my biggest tip:

Listen while you’re walking. And actively engage your imagination by envisioning scenes/excerpts in physical space. 

For example…

a jiraffe on the internet • nf.td/morereese

Another tip is to find the right listening speed. For me it depends on the book, but I typically find the best recall 2x-2.5x. If I listen at 1x I notice my mind drifting more often (this is what usually happens when I read)

Hey! I'm a cofounder of the PageDAO [ https://pagedao.org ] and I do a lot of wild Web3 stuff. [ https://dylan.cent.co ] also: PhD candidate in neuroscience. 

Dang that's super interesting and totally makes sense based on my experience. Probably closely related with the notion of "trigger" words... not trigger in the sense of provocation but instead in the sense of triggering a cluster of kinesthetic processes

Agreed. There was a neuroscience study years ago that found greater activation in sports players’ brains when they heard words from their sport as opposed to laypeople whose bodies didn’t associate words with actions. The whole brain can be used but isn’t if you’re just sitting in a room somewhere alone.