The secret language of the voice: What it reveals about us!

The secret language of the voice: What it reveals about us!

The voice plays a central role in interpersonal communication and has been shown to be a significant indicator of our physical and mental health. A team of experts - including Dr. med. Katrin Neumann, Dr. med. Philipp Mathmann, Heike Appel and Prof. Dr. Timo Brockmeyer – recently discussed the complex meaning of the voice. Their findings are of interest not only to speech therapists, but also to psychologists, doctors and therapists who work in voice therapy health advice.com explained.

The voice conveys emotions, personality and even a person's health status. A 2017 study of more than 1,700 participants showed that voice communicates empathic accuracy better than facial expressions or body language. While a healthy voice is clear and resilient and allows you to speak effortlessly for long periods of time, pathological changes can lead to communication problems. These findings were also confirmed by Walter Sendlmeier, a speech effects researcher at the TU Berlin. He describes that a darker voice often indicates low spirits or depression, while emotional instability can result in a higher and more fragile voice.

Voice as a marker of identity

The voice is also an expression of identity. Adapting your voice is particularly important for transident people. This shows how important voice therapy can be, especially for people suffering from neurological diseases, depression or age-related voice changes. In addition to voice therapy, Heike Appel emphasizes that a powerful voice can also be promoted through deepening breathing and body permeability. Healthy use of the voice should therefore be the focus.

Changes in your voice can also indicate serious health problems, such as thyroid disorders or neurodegenerative diseases. In the psychotherapy outpatient clinic, vocal parameters are also recorded in order to document progress in therapy. Prof. Dr. Brockmeyer has shown that psychological disorders such as depression are expressed in specific vocal characteristics, such as the fundamental frequency or the rate of speech.

Therapeutic approaches in voice therapy

Voice therapy is often seen as a supplement to other medical measures. It can treat health problems in the voice both directly and have a preventative effect. A central goal is to help users confidently experience contact with their voice and its capabilities. The therapy is based on two main pillars: a comprehensive diagnosis and a targeted treatment, which includes discussions about personal experiences as well as practical exercises to improve voice access. How der-stimmexperte.de As noted, many voice disorders are not pathological and can be prevented through conscious use of the voice.

In special research projects, such as a cooperation between the Charité and the Humboldt University, a computer-aided voice analysis method is being developed. This technology, which analyzes the voices of people with mental disorders, shows promising potential with over 90 percent accuracy in detecting conditions such as ADHD. The use of such technologies could be significant not only in therapy, but also in the assessment of leadership skills and communication between humans and machines.

In summary, voice is more than just a means of communication. It is a complex interplay of medical, psychological and social aspects that is deeply rooted in our identity. Advancing research and the development of innovative therapeutic approaches highlight the importance of consciously perceiving and caring for the voice.