Benefits of Audiobooks #3: Increased Intimacy?

You know that feeling you get when that special someone leans close and whispers in your ear? That comes  from intimacy, that deep, familiar knowledge or connection you have with someone else. Most of the time, we relate intimacy with romance, but it doesn't stop there.

When you listen to an audiobook, you are most often listening in the car or through headphones. In that moment you allow the narrator's voice to become the primary sound you hear. Hearing only his or her voice for hours quickly increases your familiarity with the reader's style, cadence, and way of speaking or acting.

Unlike actors in movies or television, the narrator works alone. There is no set, no props to aid the listener's experience. The narrator must bring to life the written word. In doing so, he creates a kind of trust with the listener. An understood agreement that exists during the time they spend together; something like, "I'll do my best to make this book really interesting, and if I do, you'll search for time to finish listening to the book."

During the time you are listening to a book, you are giving the narrator permission to speak directly to your mind for hours. Out of that familiarity grows intimacy between the narrator an the listener; and for that reason, you will often search out those voices that become familiar to you.

When you listen to audiobooks, you'll find there are certain readers/ narrators you prefer over others because of the quality of the voice. Some, you will find, have the ability to connect with readers in the first chapter. Some are able to overcome poor writing, and make the story better than it is.

Hearing another voice read a book is a great way to make reading fresh. It makes the reading experience more intimate. Try an audiobook today; you won't regret it. Or so says the voice in your head.