Voice Dissatisfaction Common Among the General Population

by Linda Kossoff •

CLINICAL QUESTION

On a population level, how satisfied are individuals with their voices, and how willing are they to consider interventions to change it?

BOTTOM LINE

Dissatisfaction with one’s speaking voice is common, and a considerable percentage of the general population without voice disorders would consider interventions to change it.

BACKGROUND: Individuals without voice disorders may still judge their own voices negatively. Sources suggest that such “voice confrontation” originates from a mismatch between one’s own voice heard transmitted through bone conduction and the voice others hear through air conduction. Dissatisfied patients may seek treatment or augmentation of the voice.

STUDY DESIGN: Survey study

SETTING: Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

SYNOPSIS: Researchers created a 46-question survey designed to assess demographics, health status, employment status, voice disorder history, voice use patterns, and smoking status, and added questions probing satisfaction with one’s speaking and recorded voices. A sample representative of the U.S. population was queried using the created questionnaire. A total of 1,522 respondents (~52% female) were included for final analysis. Approximately 30% of respondents were 18–34 years old, 32% were 35–54 years old, and 38% were 55 years of age or older. A minority of respondents (38.8%) indicated dissatisfaction with the sound of their voice in conversation, but a majority (57.5%) reported dissatisfaction upon hearing their recorded voice. Demographic factors associated with voice dissatisfaction included being middle aged, White, and female. Approximately 50.6% of respondents without a history of dysphonia said they would consider intervention to change their voice; within this group, clarity and pitch were paramount. Authors note that “cosmetic voice” interventions could become part of laryngology’s future. Study limitations included the inability to control for gender identity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.

CITATION: Naunheim MR, Puka E, and Huston MN. Do you like your voice? A population-based survey of voice satisfaction and voice enhancement. Laryngoscope. 2023;133:3455–3461.