Why Is the Sound of Your Own Voice in Audio Recordings So Ugly? 为什么语音里自己的声音不好听？

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？

你是否曾有这样的经历？微信聊天时，给别人发了一段语音，自以为声音清脆动人，结果一点开自己的语音条时不禁怀疑：这真的是我的声音吗？怎么这么难听？

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.

这不是你的错！我们在录音中听到自己的声音时感到不舒服，可能是由于生理和心理的双重影响。

首先，从录音中传来的声音与说话时产生的声音是通过不同方式传递给大脑的。

听语音时，声音会通过空气进入耳朵，这就是所谓的“空气传导”。声音能振动耳鼓和小耳骨。然后，这些骨头将声音振动传递到耳蜗，耳蜗刺激神经轴突，将听觉信号发送到大脑。

然而，当你说话的时候，你的声音会以一种不同的方式到达内耳。虽然一些声音是通过空气传递的，但大部分声音是在内部直接通过颅骨传导的。你说话时听到的自己的聲音是外部传导和内部传导混合作用的结果，而内部骨传导会使声音频率变低。

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，人们通常认为自己在说话时的声音更浑厚。相比之下，录制下来的声音听起来更薄更高，许多人觉得这听起来很尴尬。

语音里你的声音听起来尴尬的第二个原因是：你的语音确实是一种新的声音，而这一声音又暴露了你的自我认知和现实之间的差异。因为你的声音是独一无二的，是自我认同的重要组成部分，这种想象与现实的不匹配可能会令人不安。突然间，你意识到别人一直在听着不同的声音。

英国埃塞克斯大学的心理学家西尔克·保尔曼博士说：“录音里听来的声音比我们想象的要高得多，这让我们感到不舒服，因为它不符合我们的心理预期。声音在个人身份认同中起着重要的作用，没人愿意承认自己并不是想象中的模样。”

因此，如果你头脑中的声音“不认同”录音设备播出的声音，那可能是你内心的“批评家”反应过度了——你对自己的评价有点过于苛刻了。

Word Study

transmit /tr?ns'm?t/ v. 传（热、声等）；传送

They mostly transmit incoming solar energy down to Earth.

vibrate /va?'bre?t/ v. 振動；颤动

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. 内部的；里面的

expose /?k'sp??z/ v. 暴露；显露

My job as a journalist is to expose the truth.

castigate /'k?st?ɡe?t/ v. 申斥；严厉批评

He castigated himself for being so stupid.