What does your voice say

The young woman insisted, “Do you hear? I have such a deep voice that on the phone they take me for a man. Okay, I’m a lawyer, and it’s good for the job: I win almost every case. But in life this voice bothers me. And my friend doesn’t like it!”

The leather jacket, the short haircut, the angular movements… The woman also reminded a young man of the fact that she spoke in a low voice with a slight hoarseness: strong personalities and heavy smokers have such voices. The phoniatrist examined her vocal cords and found only a slight swelling, which, however, is almost always observed in those who smoke a lot. But the patient asked for an operation to change her “male” timbre.

Jean Abitbol refused her: there were no medical indications for the operation, moreover, he was sure that a change in voice would change the patient’s personality. Abitbol is an otolaryngologist, phoniatrist, a pioneer in the field of voice surgery. He is the author of the Vocal Research in Dynamics method. Hearing from the doctor that her personality and voice matched perfectly, the female lawyer walked away disappointed.

Almost a year later, a sonorous soprano sounded in the doctor’s office – it belonged to a girl with shoulder-length hair, in a beige muslin dress. At first, Abitbol did not even recognize his former patient: she persuaded another doctor to operate on her, and the specialist did an excellent job. A new voice demanded a new appearance – and the look of the woman changed amazingly. She became different – more feminine and soft, but, as it turned out, these changes turned out to be a disaster for her.

“In my sleep, I speak in my old deep voice,” she admitted sadly. – And in reality, she began to lose processes. I have become somehow helpless, I lack pressure, irony, and I have the feeling that I am not defending someone, but defending myself all the time. I just don’t recognize myself.”

So, the voice is closely related to our physical condition, appearance, emotions and inner world. “The voice is the alchemy of spirit and body,” explains Dr. Abitbol, ​​“and it leaves the scars we have earned throughout our lives. You can learn about them by our breathing, pauses and the melody of speech. Therefore, the voice is not only a reflection of our personality, but also a chronicle of its development. And when someone tells me that he does not like his own voice, I, of course, examine the larynx and vocal cords, but at the same time I am interested in the biography, profession, character and cultural environment of the patient.

Voice and temperament

Alas, many people are familiar with the torment when recording a duty phrase on their own answering machine. But where is the culture? Alina is 38 years old and holds a responsible position in a large PR agency. Once, when she heard herself on tape, she was horrified: “God, what a squeak! Not a PR director, but some kind of kindergarten!

Jean Abitbol says: here is a clear example of the influence of our culture. Fifty years ago, a sonorous, high-pitched voice, like the star of French chanson and cinema, Arletty or Lyubov Orlova, was considered typically feminine. Actresses with low, husky voices, like those of Marlene Dietrich, embodied mystery and seduction. “Today, it is better for a woman leader to have a lower timbre,” explains the phoniatrist. “Looks like there’s gender inequality even here!” To live in harmony with your voice and yourself, you must take into account the standards of society, which sometimes make us idealize certain sound frequencies.

Alina’s problem may seem far-fetched, but Abitbol reminds us that our voice is a secondary sexual characteristic. American psychologists led by Dr. Susan Hughes from the University of Albany in a recent study proved that people whose voice is perceived as erotic indeed have a more active sex life. And, for example, if your voice is too childish for your age, perhaps during your growing up, the vocal cords did not receive the proper amount of the appropriate hormones.

It happens that a large, imposing man, a boss, speaks in a completely childish, sonorous voice – it would be better to voice cartoons with such a voice than to manage an enterprise. “Because of the timbre of their voice, such men are often dissatisfied with themselves, do not accept their personality,” continues Dr. Abitbol. – The job of a phoniatrist or orthophonist is to help such people put in a voice box and develop the power of their voice. After two or three months, their true voice “cuts through”, and, of course, they like it much more.

how does your voice sound?

Another common complaint about one’s own voice is that it “does not sound”, a person cannot be heard. “If three people gather in a room, it’s useless for me to open my mouth,” the patient complained at the consultation. “Do you really want to be heard?” — said the phoniatrist.

The opposite case: a person literally drowns out the interlocutors with his “trumpet bass”, deliberately lowering his chin (for better resonance) and listening to how he does it. “Any otolaryngologist can easily recognize an artificially forced voice,” says Abitbol. – More often, men who need to demonstrate their strength resort to this. They have to constantly “fake” their natural timbre, and they stop liking it. As a result, they also have problems in their relationship with themselves.

Another example is people who do not realize that their voice is becoming a real problem for others. These are “screamers”, who, not paying attention to pleas, do not reduce the volume by a semitone, or “rattles”, from whose indomitable chatter, it seems, even the legs of a chair can loosen. “Often these people want to prove something to themselves or to others,” explains Dr. Abitbol. – Feel free to tell them the truth: “When you say that, I don’t understand you” or “Sorry, but your voice tires me.”

Loud, shrill voices are really very uncomfortable. In this case, “vocal re-education” with the participation of an otolaryngologist, a phoniatrist and an orthophonist can help. And also – classes in the acting studio, where the voice will be taught to control; choral singing, where you learn to listen to others; vocal lessons to set the timbre and … find your true identity. “Whatever the problem, it can always be solved,” says Jean Abitbol. “The ultimate goal of such work is to literally feel “in the voice,” that is, as good and natural as in your own body.”