science

IIRC research shows similar brain activity between reading books and listening to audio books.

But splitting attention is another matter. I listen to podcasts a lot, and often I'll finish an episode and realize I have no idea what happened because I was focused on work.

When it comes to audiobooks, I try not to split my attention because of that. Sometimes I'll listen to the audio book while reading along. For me that seems to improve my speed and focus compared to either one on its own. I'll crank up the audio speed to around 3x, which is too fast when just listening but fine when reading along. And the audio keeps me at a steadier pace than reading alone.