Human Sounds Convey Emotions Clearer and Faster Than Words
In this article researcher’s study how human sounds can convey emotions clearer and faster than words. Researchers in
the study believe that the speed in which the brain 'tags' these sounds and the
preference given to them compared to language can be traced back evolutionary.
The role of decoding vocal sounds has played a major part in human survival. "The
identification of emotional vocalizations depends on systems in the brain that are
older in evolutionary terms. Understanding emotions expressed in spoken
language, on the other hand, involves more recent brain systems that have evolved
as human language developed," says Marc Pell, Director of McGill's School
of Communication Sciences and Disorders. The team discovered that the participants detected vocalizations of
happiness or laughter more quickly than anger or sadness. However, angry sounds
and speech produced brain activity that lingered longer than other emotions,
indicating that the brain gives anger signals special attention. Additionally,
people who are more anxious respond faster to emotional voices than the less
anxious ones.
I found
this article interesting because it related to our conversation in class about
the speed of traveling chemical signals in the body. Researchers found that it
takes just one-tenth of a second for our brains to begin to recognize emotions
conveyed by vocalizations. It does not matter whether the non verbal sounds are
growls of anger, the laughter of happiness or the cries of sadness. Another
fact I found interesting was how we pay more attention when an emotion is
expressed through vocalizations than we do when the same emotion is expressed
in words. Vocalizations
appear to have the advantage of sending the meaning in a more immediate way
than speech. This fact is relatable to class because it is biological, when we
learn something earlier in life it is more firmly implanted in our brains. From
the time we are babies we vocalize meaning we pick up on these short non verbal
sounds at a younger age compared to words which take more time to develop.
These sounds can be seen as instinctive, thus allowing us to react faster.
I found this article interesting especially since we just learned about hearing in class. We learned that we are most sensitive to the frequency of sounds that we hear speech in. Even though we are most adept at hearing speech, other human sounds that convey emotions are processed faster and clearer in the brain. Having this quick interpretation on emotions through these sounds must serve an adaptive advantage because it can assist an individual in assessing their situation faster. I also thought the fact that when people who are anxious hear emotional voices they can respond faster than people who are not anxious was interesting. I wonder what in the brain makes this these sorts of responses possible.
ReplyDeleteAfter learning about audition in class, I fully understand how this information makes sense. In class, we learned how our hearing is the most sensitive to human speech (at 2000-4000hz). We need this sensitivity in order to communicate as well as protect our children. When hearing a baby cry, we need to react fast in order help and protect them. Also, in class we learned how when trying to understand what others say, those words need to go through multiple areas of the brain in order to comprehend it which would take more time. For example, when answering a question: words would go through the auditory cortex, then the Wernicke's area, then the Broca's area, then the motor cortex and the facial motor cortex. With sounds, it wouldn't need to go through as many areas of the brain as words do, which means that the sounds of emotion would take less time to comprehend. Overall, this article was intriguing and helped me to relate class information to the real world.
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