Book 2, Question 72
Why Does Our Own Voice Sound Different?
Your own voice sounds different on a recording. When you talk, you hear yourself through the air and through the bones of your skull. A recording only catches one of those paths.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 2
More fun facts
- A 1967 study gave a name to disliking the sound of your own voice: voice confrontation.
- The sound that travels through the bones of your head is deeper and lower.
- Your vocal cords sit in your larynx, also called your voice box.
- Before puberty, kids have a smaller voice box, which is why their voices are higher than grown-ups' voices.
- During puberty, the larynx grows and the vocal cords get longer and thicker, so the voice gets deeper.
Sources: BBC, KidsHealth (Nemours)
Questions kids ask
Why do I not like hearing my voice on a recording?
You are used to hearing it through your bones too, which makes it sound deeper. Lots of people feel this way.