Does your voice also go higher when you talk to a stranger or someone you don't know very well?

Weird. I noticed that recently about my sister when someone else walked into her office while she was talking to me. Her voice was suddenly more high pitched. I just assumed she was doing it to make herself sound cheery and outgoing. I don’t think my voice changes when I talk to different people, but I’m probably going to ask now out of curiosity!

I found myself doing this a lot when I was waiting tables. I couldn’t get out of the habit, and it was really annoying. I guess on a subconscious level, it makes you seem friendlier and less threatening. I went into a store the other day where my friend works, and she says they’re really serious about friendliness. Like they’ll practically zap a salesperson with a cattle prod who isn’t smiling. The woman in there was speaking in a whole nother octave- she was practically using baby talk.

I think it’s a kind of defence mechanism, makes us seem less threatening to strangers, it could also be some dormant form of mating thing…
I’ve see people doing this and ending up sounding like aLvin and the chipmonks….!
Possibly nervousness, fear or attraction.

@scotsbloke Alvin and the chipmunks! haha I agree that it might be a mating thing. I know girls who suddenly develop baby voices when they talk to people they’re interested in.

No…and it really bothers me when people do it to me. Because I can tell. It makes you feel like a child.

I don’t think so. I know it does with kids and animals, though.

Wow, it does… I noticed this the other night when I met some new people, but I didn’t think much of it until now.

Whoa.

Yes, definitely. I have somewhat of a low voice to begin with, so when I go even a little higher, it’s very noticeable. Happens when I meet strangers, people’s parents, or even when I’m on the phone with someone I don’t know.

My friends stare at me when I get off the phone because of the crazy high voice.

Mine goes the other way, lower and slower. I think it is because I am carefully selecting everything I say. Often I seem silent because the other person keeps on talking while I am still considering my response to their previous remark.

Only when I’m sitting on one of my testicles.

I’m almost 40 . . . it happens

I’m glad to know that I am not the only one who does this! When I am on the phone, it happens almost automatically. So now I’ve started to consciously lower my voice to counteract the Chipmunk sound. Maybe it has something to do with nervousness.

I do notice for some reason I have a deeper voice when talking to women…. I have no idea why I do it…. it just happens for some reason