Why do we hate hearing our recorded voice?

You know how your voice sounds, right? When you speak, you obviously listen; However, when you record and then play it, it sounds almost like it's another voice. How can it vary so much?

When we speak, the vocal cords in our larynx produce the sound that characterizes our speech. These vibrations reach the listener's ear, where it contacts the eardrum, causing it to vibrate. These vibrations then reach the cochlea, which translates into electrical impulses and enter the brain through the auditory nerve.

However, when we speak to ourselves, these vibrations take a more direct path to the cochlea. The sound is carried through the skull, both its bone and soft tissue. Traveling through these denser structures, low-frequency vibrations are improved, which makes us think we have a slightly more serious voice.

Unfortunately, listening to a recording completely eliminates the internal track. What is left is an isolated version, which has flowed through the air and has captured the recorder: listen as other people listen to you.

Although it seems strange when it happens to you, everyone experiences this fact when they listen. If you're listening to someone talk, chances are they think they sound more serious than they actually do.

It seems different because we are not used to it. So although you will surely hate the sound of your own voice, it is completely normal and probably not as bad as you may think.

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