Link Between Voice And Personality

In recent years, several studies on the link between voice and personality have been carried out. It seems that the voice contains several personalities at the same time. Psychoanalyst Mladen Dolar argues that through our voice we express the “me” that we want others to see, the “me” that we hide and even the “me” that we know.

It must be admitted that the voice enjoys a certain degree of independence. We are not always aware of what we are transmitting through our voice. It hides our emotions and our personality traits. Its tone, flow, resonance and other factors that we will see later in this article say a lot about our personality.

From the listener’s point of view, the voice is a very useful tool when it comes to getting an immediate idea of ​​the person in front of us. The human being needs 390 milliseconds of voice to get an idea of ​​the personality of his interlocutor, and this, without even realizing it. This analysis is unconscious. Here are the results obtained by Phil MacAleer and his colleagues as part of a study at the University of Glasgow. This observation seems to obey evolutionary factors that the human being has developed in order to know immediately whether or not he can trust someone.

The tone and rate of voice

Usually the tone of voice is lower when we are sad or melancholy. It is also lower when we speak more quietly. Conversely, we raise our tone when we are happy, and also when we are nervous. When faced with a happy or stressful situation, we tend to speak faster.

Regardless of the type of situation, tone of voice hides some of the most important personality traits. Deep voices generally belong to people who are more energetic, sure of themselves, or even authoritarian. High-pitched voices belong to people who are more dependent, insecure and less energetic.

Specialists also believe that verbal fluency is linked to mental speed. Rapid flow can hide a need to withhold certain information, which generates anxiety and tension. Conversely, a very slow flow conveys a lack of interest. When someone deliberately tries to camouflage their true personality, the flow of the voice sounds unnatural and too smooth.

Resonance and articulation

These two other traits also provide a lot of information about a person’s personality and mental state. A laryngopharyngeal resonance can tell us a lot about our tensions, our problems with certain emotions and even with aggression. The resonance of the most affectionate people is nasal. As for oral resonance, it is associated with narcissistic personalities.

The articulation of the voice relates to the relationship we have with others. When the articulation is vague or imprecise, it can reflect a false image and / or correspond to poor mental organization. If she’s too exaggerated, she may be responding to narcissistic bosses. We also know that, in the absence of organic problems, when we want to be understood and express clear ideas, then the articulation is well defined.

Vocal extension and intensity

Speech extension is the amount of different notes that a person is able to make. It is particularly linked to our character and can also be a showcase of our emotions. Restricted vocal extension indicates a rigid character, excessive emotional control, and an underdeveloped sense of humor. Conversely, a wide vocal extension conveys joy and empathy. However, if it is too loose and out of control, then it indicates a lack of emotional control.

The intensity of the voice shows the management of personal limits. Low intensity usually indicates a lack of assertiveness or a feeling of shame or even guilt. Conversely, high intensity can correspond to a lack of control of very energetic emotions just as it can correspond to joy and nervousness.

Voice and personality

We have seen the information that the different characteristics of the voice give us about a person’s personality and emotional situation. The voice is a human barometer of the air. Every time we speak, we activate muscles that belong to the central nervous system and the peripheral system, systems that include the affective-emotional level.

It is said that the face is the mirror of the soul. But as we have just seen, we can also say that the voice is the mirror of the soul, and it is no less precious. The work of certain therapists, including psychologist Alfred Tomatis, turns out to be very interesting. They argue that improving the voice has a positive effect on the personality. According to them, working the voice to improve it could be a way to change in a more profound way certain personal characteristics considered as problematic or limiting.

Our thoughts

Thinking out loud is not always a sign of insanity. It is a healthy exercise that allows us to improve our mental reasoning.