Does listening to a book have the same benefits for your brain as reading one?

NEW YORK - In this digital age, a lot of people are putting down traditional hardcover books and opting to listen to audiobooks and while they may be a great solution for those on the go, does listening to an audiobook have the same benefits for your brain as reading one?

According to Rosanna Sabini, a brain injury rehabilitation physician, while the endpoint is the same, how you go about processing that information is very different.

"Reading is a very active task," says Sabini, D.O. brain injury medicine chair, South Shore University Hospital. "You're using your eyes intently, you're looking at the lines, you're going through the material, and you're trying to process that information that you're getting."

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Reading is also something you do at your pace.

"You're trying to grab the information and then somehow compartmentalize it into a memory so that when you get to the endpoint where more information comes--you can make sense of it."

And while listening can be active, it's often very passive.  Our minds tend to wander, especially if we're multi-tasking.  The key is to stay focused.

"When we're listening to an audiobook, you have to have the intention to actually listen," adds Sabini. "Do the same processing, grasp the information, and then store it."

Sabini says ultimately if you are reading or listening, it's good for the brain and the health, simply because it's enjoyable.