Imagine you are outside in public, say a bus stop, when you suddenly hear a person’s voice drowning out all others. It is bold, loud, and booming over others. Despite them not using disrespectful words or tone, you might start to feel irritated, as might other people around them. We often judge people with loud voices as being rude, inconsiderate or simply annoying. But is it really just a lack of social etiquette and awareness, or does it reveal more about a person’s inner emotional state, personality and background?
Understanding the psychology of voice and speech
“The product of oral–motor movement resulting in articulation of language: the utterance of sounds and words.” (APA, 2018). Throughout human evolution, Voice and speech have developed to be an important mode of communication for us. They determine not only what we speak or how we speak it, but also how it is perceived. They are an important part of one’s personality. Both one’s voice and speech style are a form of expression for an individual.
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Voice in social and evolutionary psychology
Traditionally, a loud voice or speech has been associated with authority, leadership ability, alertness and making one’s presence known to others. It asserted presence and established dominance. In the modern day, too, it holds up to such beliefs. Although it doesn’t necessarily prove great Leadership, it highlights one’s personality characteristics.
Read More: Human Psychology Theories on Personality Development
Why do people speak loudly?
1. Personality
Oftentimes, people with certain personalities have louder voices compared to others. A study showed that extraverted individuals can have voices that are often considered as more evocative, fluent, confident, pleasant, as well as louder (Breil et al., 2021). “Extraversion, prosocial behaviour, and peer-relationship problems contribute independently to the use of a louder voice, whereas emotional stability and conscientiousness are associated with a quieter voice” (Poulain et al., 2020).
2. Lack of awareness
Sometimes a person themself is unaware of how loud they might be sounding to their surroundings, resulting in a loud voice. This may be due to Anxiety: Sometimes, increased stress and anxiety cause the throat muscles to be constricted, resulting in the voice becoming hoarse. To overcome or compensate for it, people often speak loudly.
3. Cultural Background
Culture plays a great role in determining the volume of one’s voice. While one culture can consider a louder voice as more expressive, others may simply find it rude and aggressive. Studies show, “Loud and expressive speech is often more common in African Americans, Caribbean, Latino, and Arab cultures. Some Indigenous peoples of America cultures, Alaskan native and Latin American indigenous cultures favour softer tones of voice and less expressive speech, as do some East Asian cultures.” (Think Cultural Health, n.d.).
4. Emotional state
Heightened emotional state often results in a louder voice.“Emotional states expressed in voices are reliably communicated by a combination of three perceptual dimensions—pitch, time and sound intensity (subjectively rated as loudness)” (Pittam and Scherer, 1993). For example, when a person is overly excited or angry, they tend to be louder compared to other times.
5. Intimidation
“Loudness is prioritised for displays of strength and aggression.” (APA, 2025) Sometimes, loudness is often used as an intimidation factor. A person might try to assert their dominance by appearing large and speaking over others, and using a loud, aggressive voice.
Managing loud speaking
- Recognising the root cause: Loud voice can be a form of coping mechanism against mental health issues like anxiety, or an attempt to assert oneself, or even to build a wall against others. It is important to recognise it and actively confront these issues to control loud voices in such cases.
- Practising empathy: “Understanding a person from their frame of reference rather than one’s own.” (APA, 2023). Imagine how you would feel if someone else were loud next to you while you were trying to rest or concentrate on something. And through that, build empathy, which will help in reducing loud voices.
- Focus on listening: One should try to focus on others, too, on what they think or what they are saying. Paying close attention to others helps one evaluate how others react to their own tone, volume, etc. If they are driven away, it is a cue to lower one’s volume.
- Seeking support: As mentioned previously, sometimes, loud speech can be a result of underlying issues that have remained unmet. Seeking help and support from professionals can be a good option to face these issues and actually try solving them.
Conclusion
Most people at some point or another raise their voice. It can be a response to an absurd situation, to protect oneself, sadness or even a manifestation of anger and frustration. However, when it becomes a regular thing, it can become a cause of nuisance not just for the individual but also for everyone else around them. Traditionally, a loud, booming voice is often a symbol of a confident, charming, pleasant and extraverted person, one whose presence itself can be heard. Over the years, this idea hasn’t changed much.
A loud voice can be a result of many causes, including but not limited to certain personalities like extroversion or increased prosocialism, a genuine lack of awareness, anxiety, an individual’s emotional state, cultural background or even an attempt to intimidate the other party. However, since a loud voice can become problematic, it is better to manage it. This can be done through practising empathy, recognising the root cause of such voice, focusing on listening to others, as well as seeking professional support if required. So next time, when you hear a loud person and generally consider them as having no etiquette or manners, give them a moment of doubt and think for yourself, how much of it is actually true.
FAQs
1. What has a loud voice been attached to traditionally?
Traditionally, a loud, booming voice is often a symbol of a confident, charming, pleasant and extraverted person, one whose presence itself can be heard.
2. What causes a loud voice?
Certain personalities, like extroversion or increased prosocialism, a genuine lack of awareness, anxiety, an individual’s emotional state, cultural background or even an attempt to intimidate, can be some common causes of a loud voice.
3. How can loud voices be managed?
A loud voice can be managed through practising empathy, recognising the root cause of such a voice, focusing on listening to others, as well as seeking professional support, if required.
References +
Zhang, M., & Zhou, R. (2018). Vocal emotion recognition and social anxiety: The influence of voice intensity on perception of anger. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 55, 66–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.03.002
T Poulain, M Fuchs, M Vogel, A Jurkutat, A Hiemisch, W Kiess, T Berger, Associations of Speaking-Voice Parameters With Personality and Behaviour in School-Aged Children, Journal of Voice, Volume 34, Issue 3, 2020, Pages 485.e23-485.e31, ISSN 0892-1997, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2018.09.022.
American Psychological Association. (2024). Emotional processing in vocal communication: Neural and behavioural perspectives. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(2), 301–319. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-28586-001
Simon, D., Becker, M., Mothes-Lasch, M., Miltner, W. H., & Straube, T. (2017). Loud and angry: Sound intensity modulates amygdala activation to angry voices in social anxiety disorder. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 12(3), 409–416. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsw131
Tiwari, M., & Tiwari, M. (2012). Voice – How humans communicate?. Journal of natural science, biology, and medicine, 3(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.4103/0976-9668.95933
American Physiological Society. (2005, May 27). Difference in talking louder, talking over noise depends on verbal cues, internal targets. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050526230846.htm
Think Cultural Health. (n.d.). Communication styles. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Centre for Substance Abuse Treatment. Retrieved from https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/behavioral-health/
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