Why Is the Sound of Your Own Voice in Audio Recordings So Ugly? 為什么語音里自己的聲音不好聽？

Have you ever had such an experience？ When chatting on WeChat， you sent someone a voice message where you thought your voice was clear and moving， but when you heard your own recorded voice， you couldnt help wondering： Is this really my voice？ Why is it so ugly？

你是否曾有這樣的經歷？微信聊天時，給別人發了一段語音，自以為聲音清脆動人，結果一點開自己的語音條時不禁懷疑：這真的是我的聲音嗎？怎么這么難聽？

Its not your fault. The discomfort we have over hearing our voices in audio recordings is probably due to a mix of physiology and psychology.

For one， the sound from an audio recording is transmitted differently to your brain than the sound generated when you speak.

When listening to a recording， the sound travels through the air and into your ears—whats referred to as “air conduction”. The sound energy vibrates the ear drum and small ear bones. These bones then transmit the sound vibrations to the cochlea， which stimulates nerve axons that send the auditory signal to the brain.

However， when you speak， the sound from your voice reaches the inner ear in a different way. While some of the sound is transmitted through air conduction， much of the sound is internally conducted directly through your skull bones. When you hear your own voice when you speak， its due to a blend of both external and internal conduction， and internal bone conduction appears to boost the lower frequencies.

這不是你的錯！我們在錄音中聽到自己的聲音時感到不舒服，可能是由于生理和心理的雙重影響。

首先，從錄音中傳來的聲音與說話時產生的聲音是通過不同方式傳遞給大腦的。

聽語音時，聲音會通過空氣進入耳朵，這就是所謂的“空氣傳導”。聲音能振動耳鼓和小耳骨。然后，這些骨頭將聲音振動傳遞到耳蝸，耳蝸刺激神經軸突，將聽覺信號發送到大腦。

然而，當你說話的時候，你的聲音會以一種不同的方式到達內耳。雖然一些聲音是通過空氣傳遞的，但大部分聲音是在內部直接通過顱骨傳導的。你說話時聽到的自己的聲音是外部傳導和內部傳導混合作用的結果，而內部骨傳導會使聲音頻率變低。

For this reason， people generally perceive their voice as deeper and richer when they speak. The recorded voice， in comparison， can sound thinner and higher-pitched， which many find embarrassed.

Theres a second reason hearing a recording of your voice can be so embarrassing. It really is a new voice—one that exposes a difference between your self-perception and reality. Because your voice is unique and an important component of self-identity， this mismatch can be jarring. Suddenly you realize other people have been hearing something else all along.

Dr Silke Paulmann， a psychologist at the University of Essex in the UK， says， “The fact that we sound more high-pitched than what we think we should makes us uncomfortable as it doesnt meet our internal expectations; our voice plays an important role in forming our identity and no one likes to realize that youre not really who you think you are.”

So if the voice in your head castigates the voice coming out of a recording device， its probably your inner critic overreacting—and youre judging yourself a bit too harshly.

因此，人們通常認為自己在說話時的聲音更渾厚。相比之下，錄制下來的聲音聽起來更薄更高，許多人覺得這聽起來很尷尬。

語音里你的聲音聽起來尷尬的第二個原因是：你的語音確實是一種新的聲音，而這一聲音又暴露了你的自我認知和現實之間的差異。因為你的聲音是獨一無二的，是自我認同的重要組成部分，這種想象與現實的不匹配可能會令人不安。突然間，你意識到別人一直在聽著不同的聲音。

英國埃塞克斯大學的心理學家西爾克·保爾曼博士說：“錄音里聽來的聲音比我們想象的要高得多，這讓我們感到不舒服，因為它不符合我們的心理預期。聲音在個人身份認同中起著重要的作用，沒人愿意承認自己并不是想象中的模樣。”

因此，如果你頭腦中的聲音“不認同”錄音設備播出的聲音，那可能是你內心的“批評家”反應過度了——你對自己的評價有點過于苛刻了。

Word Study

transmit /tr?ns'm?t/ v. 傳（熱、聲等）；傳送

They mostly transmit incoming solar energy down to Earth.

vibrate /va?'bre?t/ v. 振動；顫動

Every time a train went past the walls vibrated.

external /?k'st??nl/ adj. 外部的；外面的

internal /?n't??nl/ adj. 內部的；里面的

expose /?k'sp??z/ v. 暴露；顯露

My job as a journalist is to expose the truth.

castigate /'k?st?ɡe?t/ v. 申斥；嚴厲批評

He castigated himself for being so stupid.