Was halfway through an almost identical reply when you posted this haha (also enjoyed Sapiens!). I think the level of absorption is as high if not higher than

Was halfway through an almost identical reply when you posted this haha (also enjoyed Sapiens!). I think the level of absorption is as high if not higher than reading but I have been wondering if it 'counts' (and wondering what I mean by that). With audiobooks we're not practicing the physical scanning of words (assuming that's a skill which can deteriorate) and difficult sentences are definitely easier to follow when stressed by a good voice actor. That said I think we're still picking up vocabulary, empathizing and learning which feel like the biggest wins of reading a variety of books.