Is There A Relationship Between Voice And Personality?

In recent years, several studies have been developed that relate voice and personality. Apparently, the voice brings different personalities with it. Psychoanalyst Malden Dolar maintains that, through the voice, we express the ‘I’ that we want to appear, the ‘I’ that we hide and even a ‘I’ that we do not know.

It is necessary to recognize that the voice has a certain degree of independence. We are not always aware of what we are transmitting through it. The voice hides emotions and personality traits. It reveals them through tone, speed, resonance, and other factors that we’ll look at next.

There is also a winter process. If we think on the “listener” side, the voice is a very useful tool when judging and making an immediate and unconscious idea of ​​the person in front of us.

It takes only 390 milliseconds of voice for human beings to get an idea of ​​the personality of their interlocutor, and this happens without the person realizing it. These were the results obtained by Phil McAleer and his colleagues at the University of Glasgow. This fact seems to obey evolutionary factors that human beings have developed to know immediately whether or not they can trust someone.

The tone of voice and its speed

In general, the tone of voice is lower when faced with a sad or melancholy situation. We also speak softer when we are speaking slower. On the contrary, we raise our voice when we are happy, but also when we are nervous. In these situations, there is a tendency to speak faster.

Regardless of the situations, the tone of voice hides some of the most important personality traits. Deep voices usually belong to people who are more energetic, self-assured, even authoritarian. Meanwhile, high-pitched voices show us people more dependent, insecure and with less energy.

It is also known today that verbal fluidity is related to mental speed. If it’s too fast, it can hide a need to hide data, which creates anxiety and tension. If, on the contrary, it is too slow, it conveys a lack of interest. When someone deliberately tries to hide their true personality, the speed becomes unnatural and there is an even too regular cadence.

The resonance and articulation of the voice

These are another of the traits that can give us a lot of information about a person’s personality and emotional state: resonance and articulation. A laryngopharyngeal MRI can show us tensions, problems with emotions, and even aggression. However, a nasal resonance is present in more affectionate people. Oral resonance is associated with narcissistic personalities.

The articulation of the voice is related to the relationship that is maintained with others. When it is vague or imprecise, it can project an image of falsehood or concern poor mental organization. If it’s too exaggerated, maybe it comes from narcissistic personality patterns. We also know that, in the absence of an organic problem, when one is interested in being understood and the ideas are clear, the articulation is well defined.

vocal range and intensity

Vocal range is the amount of different notes a person is able to emit. It is mainly related to the personality and can also be a demonstration of emotions. A restricted vocal range denotes rigidity of character, excessive control of emotions, and poor sense of humor. If the vocal range is wide, it conveys joy and empathy, but if it is wide and uncontrolled, it indicates a lack of emotional control

The intensity of the voice is what shows the person’s relationship with limits, both personal and in relation to others. Low intensity often accompanies a lack of assertiveness. Likewise, it can be a sign of shame or guilt. When the intensity is high, it can be a lack of control over high-energy emotions such as joy or anger.

voice and personality

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

It is said that the eyes are the mirror of the soul, but as we have seen in this article, the voice can also be a mirror, and it is no less valuable. In this sense, the work of therapists such as psychologist Alfred Tomatis, who maintain that improving the voice has a positive effect on personality, is also interesting. In other words, working on the voice to improve it could be a path towards deeper changes regarding personal characteristics that are limiting or considered problematic.