That University of Utah study calls this “Inattention Blindness” and I’m sure it’s real. Be honest. Haven’t you ever driven for a while, daydreaming until you realized you did not remember the last few minutes — or more — of the drive? No memory of turns, signals, acceleration, breaking; yet there you are, someplace else, all in one piece.

The same thing happens with anything (audio books, podcasts, talk radio, etc.) that grabs your attention.