06-23-2018, 10:01 AM | #1 |
Bah, humbug!
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Do audiobooks elicit stronger emotional response than movies or TV?
I don't see where anyone has posted this yet, but there is an article at USA Today about a new study that claims audiobooks generate stronger emotions among their listeners than do other forms of media.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/...-tv/721717002/ The study was funded by Audible. Last edited by WT Sharpe; 06-23-2018 at 10:07 AM. |
06-23-2018, 10:07 AM | #2 |
Wizard
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I know listening to Kate Burton read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn made me grit my teeth.
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06-23-2018, 11:04 AM | #3 | |
o saeclum infacetum
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I wonder if the simpler explanation isn't that listening alone takes more effort, hence more engagement. Which is similar to what they're guessing is the reason, but not quite the same.
Also, a quibble: Quote:
That said, I don't doubt the biometrics, but I admit they play to my own prejudices/preferences. I like audiobooks and I don't watch television. |
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06-23-2018, 10:25 PM | #4 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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06-24-2018, 08:54 AM | #5 |
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I'm puzzled as to why it matters. I like audiobooks for a variety of reasons. I like movies and TV shows too. I don't know what my emotional response is to different media, nor do I care.
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06-24-2018, 09:36 AM | #6 |
o saeclum infacetum
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That's reasonable. I suppose it matters to Audible. What case do you think they're making here? Audiobibliophiles get blasted by the "text only" crowd as being lazy and less legitimate; perhaps Audible is trying to strike back by saying, "Well, at least we're better than tv! So neener, neener, neener."
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06-24-2018, 11:17 AM | #7 | ||
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Quote:
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Anyway, the study apparently used isolated scenes for comparisons--that does a disservice to both the book and the video. And a more legitimate comparison would be to see the differences between reading on one's own and being read to. Movies are so vastly different that a comparison seems meaningless. If science wants to examine which medium is usually better for learning or retention of material, fine, have it at, although even there I'm sure there are widely different learning styles. The study seems silly. |
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06-24-2018, 11:18 AM | #8 | |
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Quote:
I'm a bit of a movie buff. There are certain movies that never fail to engage me emotionally. Music tends to engage me on an emotional level as well. I tend to notice when music is used to enhance the reaction in a movie. There aren't a lot of audiobooks what cause me to react at that level. Some of that may be that I mostly listen to audiobooks where I have already read the book, so I'm already familiar with what's going to happen. |
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06-24-2018, 01:15 PM | #9 | |
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06-24-2018, 07:53 PM | #10 | |
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I do think that how people respond and what they respond to can vary quite a bit. Some people are more auditory oriented, others are more visually oriented. I suspect that can matter quite a bit. For that matter, I wouldn't be shocked if there is quite a bit of variance depending on if you were read to as a small child and how good of a story teller your parent was. That's the problem with such studies, it's impossible to control for all the variables when it comes to people. |
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06-24-2018, 09:31 PM | #11 | |
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In any case, I am highly skeptical that emotions can be measured by physical reactions. |
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06-25-2018, 04:53 AM | #12 | |
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06-25-2018, 08:59 AM | #13 | |
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Anyway, this is getting quite far afield from the study. If I say I'm more emotionally engaged by a movie, some scientist isn't going to convince me I'm not by showing me my heart rate. I am the judge of my own emotional reaction. |
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06-25-2018, 01:47 PM | #14 |
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I think it's the difference between movies/TV and a good book. A book can describe scenery; in a movie, it's up to you to look at it or not. Actually, in a print book, I often skip over or just skim the scenery desriptions. An audiobook forces me to go through the description at the slower pace of voice, rather than my eyes- which also prohibits me from skipping or skimming.
A book can describe what the character is feeling; movies have a harder time of that. A book can have much more depth. A book can be more emotionally engaging than movies/TV. But we (us bookworms here) all *knew* that! |
06-29-2018, 07:06 PM | #15 |
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What ho everybody, this is my first post on these boards. I have lurked in the shadows until now, much like one of those figures in a Conan Doyle.
As to this narration vs tv topic, I think I would have to take a similar angle as badgoodDeb. Whilst a cunning twist of lighting and a sinister strain of violins can give us all the willies when Sally has is walking through a dark alley, the descriptions read by a narrator can really skewer the bladder when it comes to emotion. If Sally walks down a dark alley where the walls clasp around her like a murderers glove and every shadow stalks each clicking step, creeping; creeping; creeping. Then I think we are much more likely to clamber out of bed and switch the lights on for a few minutes. A great film, (and I do like them), is but the sketching of a directors best imaginings. An audio narration creates sketches from ones own mind where your personal fears or loves or whatever’s, provide the lighting and shade peculiar to your own world. Tally ho. |
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