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

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(jīng)歷？微信聊天時(shí)，給別人發(fā)了一段語(yǔ)音，自以為聲音清脆動(dòng)人，結(jié)果一點(diǎn)開(kāi)自己的語(yǔ)音條時(shí)不禁懷疑：這真的是我的聲音嗎？怎么這么難聽(tīng)？

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(cuò)！我們?cè)阡浺糁新?tīng)到自己的聲音時(shí)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(lái)的聲音與說(shuō)話時(shí)產(chǎn)生的聲音是通過(guò)不同方式傳遞給大腦的。

聽(tīng)語(yǔ)音時(shí)，聲音會(huì)通過(guò)空氣進(jìn)入耳朵，這就是所謂的“空氣傳導(dǎo)”。聲音能振動(dòng)耳鼓和小耳骨。然后，這些骨頭將聲音振動(dòng)傳遞到耳蝸，耳蝸刺激神經(jīng)軸突，將聽(tīng)覺(jué)信號(hào)發(fā)送到大腦。

然而，當(dāng)你說(shuō)話的時(shí)候，你的聲音會(huì)以一種不同的方式到達(dá)內(nèi)耳。雖然一些聲音是通過(guò)空氣傳遞的，但大部分聲音是在內(nèi)部直接通過(guò)顱骨傳導(dǎo)的。你說(shuō)話時(shí)聽(tīng)到的自己的聲音是外部傳導(dǎo)和內(nèi)部傳導(dǎo)混合作用的結(jié)果，而內(nèi)部骨傳導(dǎo)會(huì)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(rèn)為自己在說(shuō)話時(shí)的聲音更渾厚。相比之下，錄制下來(lái)的聲音聽(tīng)起來(lái)更薄更高，許多人覺(jué)得這聽(tīng)起來(lái)很尷尬。

語(yǔ)音里你的聲音聽(tīng)起來(lái)尷尬的第二個(gè)原因是：你的語(yǔ)音確實(shí)是一種新的聲音，而這一聲音又暴露了你的自我認(rèn)知和現(xiàn)實(shí)之間的差異。因?yàn)槟愕穆曇羰仟?dú)一無(wú)二的，是自我認(rèn)同的重要組成部分，這種想象與現(xiàn)實(shí)的不匹配可能會(huì)令人不安。突然間，你意識(shí)到別人一直在聽(tīng)著不同的聲音。

英國(guó)埃塞克斯大學(xué)的心理學(xué)家西爾克·保爾曼博士說(shuō)：“錄音里聽(tīng)來(lái)的聲音比我們想象的要高得多，這讓我們感到不舒服，因?yàn)樗环衔覀兊男睦眍A(yù)期。聲音在個(gè)人身份認(rèn)同中起著重要的作用，沒(méi)人愿意承認(rèn)自己并不是想象中的模樣?！?/p>

因此，如果你頭腦中的聲音“不認(rèn)同”錄音設(shè)備播出的聲音，那可能是你內(nèi)心的“批評(píng)家”反應(yīng)過(guò)度了——你對(duì)自己的評(píng)價(jià)有點(diǎn)過(guò)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(dòng)；顫動(dòng)

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(nèi)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(yán)厲批評(píng)

He castigated himself for being so stupid.