Does Anybody hate the sound of their own voice being played back to them?

This follows on from the thread about looking in your own eyes or those of others.....and that thread also strayed into talk of photos of yourself too.

Personally, I absolutely hate to hear a playback of myself talking.  I sound like a man with a "punchable face" if you know what I mean.

It doesn't ever sound like me.....more like the ass-hat version of me (ie pointless and ridiculous and has no use or purpose.)

I wonder if this is plain old-fashioned self-loathing or whether there is something deeper going on.

I have a recording of myself aged 8 years old......and I sound MUCH nicer then !

Does anyone have firm thoughts on this subject?

  • I think almost everyone hates it! I heard or read something that said it's because when you speak your voice is resonating through your body, so your ears hear it differently than if you hear a recording and the sound isn't resonating through your body.

    I am usually surprised how masculine I sound in a recording (I'm female). People also tell me I sound posh in recordings, because I'm trying a bit too hard to speak clearly/properly.

  • I don’t really like it. My accent seems very strong, and I sound exactly like my mother Joy 

  • Hi number, what you said sounds right. I remember seeing something about putting your hands over your ears to hear your voice differently, l can't remember what it achieved though. 

    This whole thread has got me wondering whether I could learn to tolerate my voice by constantly listening to it back on recordings? Some kind of exposure therapy. I know some of this thread is light hearted, but this issue has affected me for a long time and affected my confidence to speak in certain situations. Very interesting topic. 

  • I think the main reason for the difference isn't the tech, but the fact that when we speak, it resonates inside our own heads first/simultaneously to being launched into the air.  Accordingly, we hear our own voice differently "first hand"....if it is played back to us, it is only the airborne transmission we can hear, without any of the internalised resonances.  That is my belief and understanding anyway.  Happy to be corrected by cleverer souls out there?

  • I hate hearing my own voice, not only do I hear a country bumpkin, but also it's the slow tone and even worst when you are talking to someone from work and you hear your voice coming back. I just want to end the call as soon as possible and avoid saying much.

    Is it that technology changes the sound or we hear ourselves differently when just speaking? To me the two things sound different.

  • I did at one point, but like all things Autism, I get more competent at tolerating it the more I’m exposed to it..

  • Good point - well made !  Perhaps a better question would be.....why am I now listening to "My Home Town" (Husavik) on repeat (for 45 minutes and counting)......perhaps I should be clearer with my disambiguation.....so here goes;

    DISAMBIGUATION:

    Number is quite mad, easily confused and readily launches down randomly disconnected pathways.  Does anyone else think that the tiny profile picture of Fezzes' looks a lot like Will Ferrell in that film about the ICELANDIC singers in the Eurovision contest.  Should have gone to "that well known optometrists"....and had a cold shower !

  • I'm confused, why are you suddenly writing Icelandic?

  • DISAMBIGUATION:

    vera með þér, með þér í húsavík við skjálfanda í heim-abærinn minn.

  • OMG - What is it with Finland and the Finnish these days ? [I do understand your reference here, and for what its worth, I really like the song - rather oddly!]

    The worst thing, is that I started this (I think) purely my mentioning it once (I thought DayInTheLife might be Finnish - but they are actually Italian).......but now the country and it's people seem to be meriting a mention every other day ?

  • Maybe a long shot, but based on your picture... any Big Finish gigs on that recording CV? 

    Without naming anything specific, of course

  • Interesting.  Cool.  Familiarity and repetition has delivered contentment to you + self criticism = VERY autistic of you sir.

  • I do a lot of acting and recording, so hear playback of my voice frequently so I'm used to it. I remember when I first did this I did hate the sound of my voice, but over the last five years I've adjusted and got used to it and now I enjoy hearing it. Though it does give me chance to be self critical of myself!

  • Oh, I can play with voices and accents all day long - I often speak to myself - in a variety of non-native accents & can adopt the style of those with whom I speak - no problem.  I can entertain with my voices quite readily...............but that doesn't stop me "hating the sound of my own voice played back to me."  There is a big difference (in my opinion) between these two distinct things?

  • I love my voice. It's a gentle sound and I can put on voices, which can be fun. 

  • I meant, no I do not like the sound of my voice, not no I do not hate the sound of my own voice.

    Im getting this more jumbled in trying to unjumble it. Simply put, I hate the sound of my own voice on recordings.


    The rest of my comment makes sense then. I think…

    If you’ve worked out what I’m trying to say, you deserve a medal. Communication, tick.

  • Simply put, no I do not! I feel very uncomfortable when I have to actually. Because we sound so different on recordings, it’s like listening to someone you’ve never spoken to before whilst knowing everything about them. I think I can also hear the discomfort of social interaction in my voice too, where as others won’t pick up on that.

  • I cringe whenever I hear myself. But others, on Zoom, love my accent. 

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