Relationship Between Voice And Personality

In recent years, several studies have been developed that relate voice and personality. And it seems that the voice contains different personalities at times. The psychoanalyst Malden Dolar argues that  the self that we want to appear, the self that we hide and even a self that we do not know is expressed through the voice.

It must be recognized that the voice enjoys a certain degree of independence. You are not always aware of what is transmitted through it. The voice hides emotions and personality traits. It does this through pitch, speed, resonance, and other factors that we will see below.

But there is also a process in reverse. From the “listener” side, the voice is a very useful tool when it comes to prejudging and getting an immediate, unconscious idea of ​​the person in front of you.

Human beings need 390 milliseconds of voice to get an idea of ​​the personality of their interlocutor, and they do so without even realizing it. These were the results obtained by Phil McAleer and his colleagues, from the University of Glasgow. This fact seems to be due to evolutionary factors that humans developed to know immediately whether or not they can trust someone.

The tone and speed of the voice

In general, the tone of voice is lower when the situation is sad or melancholic. We also do it to speak more slowly. On the contrary, the tone of voice rises when we are happy, but also when we are nervous. In these situations there is a tendency to speak faster.

But regardless of the situations, the tone of voice hides some of the most important personality traits. Low voices tend to belong to more energetic, self-confident, even authoritarian people. While high-pitched voices show us more dependent, insecure and less energetic people.

Verbal fluency has also been found to be related to mental speed. If it is too fast, it can hide a need to hide data, which generates anxiety and tension. If, on the other hand, it is too slow, it conveys a lack of interest. When someone deliberately tries to hide their true personality, the speed is unnatural and occurs at too regular a speed.

Resonance and articulation of the voice

These are two other traits that provide a lot of information about the personality and emotional state of people. A laryngo-pharyngeal resonance can tell us about tensions, problems with emotions, even aggressiveness. However, a nasal MRI comes from more affective people. Oral resonance is associated with narcissistic personalities.

The articulation of the voice has to do with the relationship that is maintained with others. When it is vague or imprecise, it can project an image of falsehood and / or respond to a poor mental organization. If it is very exaggerated, it may be due to narcissistic personality patterns. We also know that, in the absence of an organic problem, when there is an interest in being understood and the ideas are clear, the articulation is well defined.

Vocal length and intensity

The vocal extension is the number of different notes that a person is capable of emitting. It is mainly related to character and can also be a showcase for emotions. A restricted vocal range denotes rigidity of character, excess control of emotions and little sense of humor. If the vocal extension is wide, it transmits joy and empathy, but if it is wide and uncontrolled, it speaks of a lack of emotional control.

The intensity of the voice is what the management of limits would show us, both personal and those of others. Low intensity often accompanies a lack of assertiveness; in the same way it can be a sign of shame or guilt. That the intensity is high, it can correspond to the lack of control over emotions with a lot of energy, such as joy or anger.

Voice and personality

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

It is said that the face is the mirror of the soul; however, as we have seen in this article, the voice can also be a mirror, and no less valuable. In this sense, the work of therapists is interesting, such as the psychologist Alfred Tomatis, who argue that improving the voice produces a positive effect on the personality. In other words, working on the voice to improve it could be a way for deeper changes in personal characteristics that limit or are considered a problem.