The golden ear-a of audio: why aural entertainment is on the rise

More and more people are embracing audio: 80 million Americans are now weekly podcast listeners, according to the latest study from Edison Research, up 16% on last year. — AFP Relaxnews

Audio stimulates our brains more powerfully than video, and slots neatly into our new patterns of voracious cultural consumption - making this a revolutionary time for aural entertainment.

When Daniel Richardson, an experimental psychologist at University College London, wanted to compare the impact of audio and video on our brains, he turned for help to Hannibal Lecter and the people who chopped off Ned Stark's head.