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Vocal Cords: Why Do I Hate the Sound of My Own Voice?

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When you speak, do you hear your voice as others hear it?  When a person’s voice is played from a recording, most likely not, and as it turns out many are either upset, disappointed, and may not even recognize that it is their own voice.  This article explains the reasons: 
“When you hear people talking, sound waves travel through the air and into your ears, vibrating your ear drums. Your brain then transforms those vibrations into sound.  However, when you’re the one talking, your vocal cords and airways also vibrate. That means that you receive two sources of sound: the sound waves that travel into your ears from your own voice, as well as vocal cord vibrations.“When we talk, it’s like everyone hears the sound through speakers, but we’re hearing it through a cave complex inside our own heads,” says Martin Birchall, professor of laryngology (the study of the larynx, or voice box) at University College London. “The sound is going around our sinuses, all the empty spaces in our heads and the middle part of our ears, which changes the way we hear sounds compared to what other people hear.“  This can be an issue for some who either do not like their own voice, wish that it were different (for reasons such as actors), or for those who might have gender dysmorphia.  The article points out that there are voice therapist (voice physiotherapy) to change the sound.  Also, for those for whom it can be a mental health issue, there are train psychologists who can work with this type of issue.

SOURCE

Time, June 16, 2017, by Kate Samuelson

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://time.com/4820247/voice-vocal-cords/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sfmc&utm_campaign=newsletter+health-tuesday+default+ac&utm_content=+++20220823+++body&et_rid=207786296&lctg=207786296

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/mwm2vf8t

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

•In terms of the psychology of sensation and perception:  how do we hear other people’s voices that differs from hearing our own voice?

•And vice versa:  In terms of the psychology of sensation and perception:  how do we hear our own voice that differs from  hearing another person’s voice?

•Why is this an issue for some individuals?  Can anything be done?