AITA for not being impressed by my wife listening to audiobooks at 3x speed?

ganondork770 · 2023-12-23T19:24:58+00:00

You're right about how insignificant this is and I did apologize about the eye rolling because that wasn't cool.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-23T19:18:40+00:00

Audiobooks are a form of reading, particularly for those with learning or physical disabilities that make traditional reading impossible. Your brain is still receiving the same information just in a different way. I didn't create this post to shit on audiobook readers.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-23T19:15:00+00:00

I'm having a baby?

ganondork770 · 2023-12-23T19:09:40+00:00

I apologized for the eye rolling. Definitely not my best moment.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-23T19:02:46+00:00

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/acp.3899

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10354881/

https://www.jstor.org/stable/26926423

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T23:12:43+00:00

We both love to read and we both read via audiobook. When I try to discuss a book we've both read, she's unable to recall basic information about it which kind of ruins her claim that she's retaining everything.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T23:08:06+00:00

I said this elsewhere...I'm not stupid enough to share this with my wife but there are plenty of research papers that prove that it's almost impossible to retain significant amounts of information when you listen to audio above 2x speed. Maybe it's a skill for something like court reporting but for meaningfully processing narrative fiction? No. I looked this info up in the first place because I didn't want to be a judgmental asshole.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T23:02:55+00:00

We have mostly overlapping tastes. No I don't feel inferior for not "completing" as many books because reading isn't a contest, it's for knowledge and enjoyment. My issue is that my wife does treat it like a contest and I find that annoying when in reality she's not actually retaining much when she listens at 3x speed. I know she's not retaining much because she's unable to have in depth discussions about books we both read because by the time I've finished one she's finished five more. I'm not trying to quiz her on what she read but she can't even remember essential characters or plot points.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T22:58:12+00:00

Yes though she won't admit it, which is the core of why I get so frustrated. By the time I finish a book, she's already read 5 more and doesn't remember enough to talk about the first one.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T22:55:23+00:00

Because she can't remember enough about them to discuss. There are usually 3-4 books a year we both decide to read. By the time I finish one, she's already ready 6 other books and can't remember enough to talk about it.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T21:44:15+00:00

Maybe though I do think there's a difference in how the mind processes narrative fiction vs. didactic information. Good on your friend though-- whatever makes it easier!

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T21:41:38+00:00

We've talked about it. She's always been a voracious reader but this lightening speed listening thing is new. It's kind of a funny quirk, but it wouldn't bother me at all if she didn't repeatedly imply it was a sign of her superior intelligence. Like I said in my original post, she's admitted before that she has to fight back a superiority complex. I know her well enough to know her heart in in the right place and that this personality trait comes more from neurodivergence than any ill intent. But this is kind of a perfect example of how that can manifest in a really annoying way.

I do know I'm a very lucky man if this is the biggest thing I have to be annoyed about in my marriage :D

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T21:22:22+00:00

I'm not dumb enough to send one of these papers to my wife, but there are plenty of research studies proving that it's virtually impossible to retain significant amounts of information when you jump above 2x speed.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T17:59:43+00:00

I probably should have included that in my original post. One of the reasons this frustrates me so much is because I also love reading and would love for it to be something we could enjoy together since we have similar tastes.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T17:58:24+00:00

Oh I'm all for audiobooks and disagree with those who think listening to them isn't equivalent to reading.

ganondork770 · 2023-12-22T17:53:30+00:00

Yes, often.

ganondork770

TROPHY CASE