Hi Reader,

Last month my extended family spent two weeks in Sicily celebrating my dad's 75th birthday. The food, the views, the weather — all incredible. But the real gift was something simpler: two uninterrupted weeks together.

We spent hours driving between towns in a packed van, with all the cousins (ages 3–12) piled in with us. A handful of podcasts (Magical Storybook, Story Shed, Circle Round, But Why?) held all five rapt at once. It got me wondering: does listening "count" the same as reading?

Turns out, mostly yes. A UC Berkeley study mapped how the brain processes meaning and found the maps for reading and listening to the same story were nearly identical. A 2022 meta-analysis of 46 studies and almost 4,700 people found no reliable comprehension gap between the two (only a slight advantage for reading when it comes to inferencing over literal comprehension).

The exception is little kids. A Cincinnati Children's study found audio-only stories ran "too cold" for preschoolers, while an illustrated book read aloud hit the "just right" spot. So those podcasts probably weren't quite the same for my 3-year-old as a book on my lap — but it's nowhere near "not really reading" either.

As always: somewhere in between.

If you want to talk to your kids about this research and what they prefer (listening or reading), try these conversation starters:

Ages 6–10: "What's your favorite podcast or audiobook right now? What makes it as good as a book?"

Ages 11–13: "Do you think your brain works the same way whether you're reading a book or listening to one? What do you think scientists found?"

Ages 13–16: "You know how people act like listening to an audiobook doesn't 'count' the same as reading? Turns out the science says otherwise — the brain processes it almost identically. Does that match how it feels for you?"

And now, your turn. Hit reply and let me know - do you prefer reading books or listening to audiobooks? Do you find a difference in how you comprehend or process the information?

In partnership,

Dr. Rupa

PS: Tech Ready - my digital driver's ed course for tweens and their parents - is here when you're ready!