Reading and listening are two fundamentally different modes of learning. Reading is a standalone activity, but it tends to create stronger memories because your brain needs to fill in many gaps that listening pre-populates. What does the setting look like? What do the voices sound like? Reading uses back-tracking eye movements to maximize retention. Turning pages is a built-in break, giving you time to process what you’ve read. Reading also provides structural cues from punctuation, and physical books give you a spatial sense of where you are in the story at all times, both of which help improve your memory.

Listening, on the other hand, is a more social experience. You can glean information from one’s intonation, volume, and speed. Because you can’t rewind a conversation, you tend to focus on extracting the most important points. Listeners thrive on interaction and spontaneity. They love hearing multiple angles until one clicks, and that’s when the words magically roll off their tongue in response.

The biggest difference between the two is that listening still works when you do it passively — you can let the information run over you like a waterfall, and your subconscious will save the most relevant bits as they pass by — while reading requires constant attention. It is entirely active, like a treasure hunt.