MadSci Network: General Biology
Query:

Re: Why does the human voice rise in pitch when person is angry?

Date: Tue Apr 24 06:55:16 2001
Posted By: Benoit A. Bacon, Post-doc/Fellow, Psychology, University of Glasgow
Area of science: General Biology
ID: 988014835.Gb
Message:

Dear Cherry,
 Thank you for your very interesting question. The human voice is a 
wonderful instrument and it can carry meaning not only through 
words, but also through loudness (volume), prosody (rhythm) and of 
course pitch which, as you know, is a measure of how high or low a 
voice is. 
 Pitch is mainly determined by the speed of vibration of the vocal 
folds: The higher the pitch the faster the rate of vibration and the lower 
the pitch the slower the rate of vibration. When we are angry, many 
biological functions (for example our heart beat or respiratory rate) 
accelerate as our sympathetic nervous system prepares our body for 
the "fight or flight" response". The vibration rate of our vocal folds is 
affected in a similar manner, and the pitch of our voice therefore 
automatically rises.
 Increased muscle tenseness of the laryngeal musculature  in high 
arousal situations also limit vocal cord tension and larynx position, 
making it difficult to vary the pitch of the voice.
 I hope this answers your question.
 Cheers!
 Benoit



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