{"id":680977,"date":"2025-07-22T09:30:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T06:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/study-uncovers-cultural-clues-in-voices\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T09:30:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T06:30:23","slug":"study-uncovers-cultural-clues-in-voices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/study-uncovers-cultural-clues-in-voices\/","title":{"rendered":"Study uncovers cultural clues in voices"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a379ae9ad38b\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a379ae9ad38b\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/study-uncovers-cultural-clues-in-voices\/#Conventions_for_complaints\" >Conventions for complaints<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/study-uncovers-cultural-clues-in-voices\/#Sad_or_angry\" >Sad or angry?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/study-uncovers-cultural-clues-in-voices\/#Beyond_words\" >Beyond words<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/customer-demand.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/customer-demand.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: Kampus Production from Pexels\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/customer-demand.jpg\" alt=\"customer demand\" title=\"Credit: Kampus Production from Pexels\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: Kampus Production from Pexels<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It has long been established that emotions reflect in our voice\u2014this helps us communicate more purposefully and gives listeners cues as to how they should interpret what we say. But what emotions predominate in complaints\u2014and how do they differ between groups? Researchers in Switzerland and Canada investigated and published their findings in <i>Frontiers in Communication<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Complaining is differentiated from neutral speech by changes in vocal expression. Complainers tend to change their intonation, pitch, rhythm, and emphasis, making them sound more emotive and expressive,&#8221; said first author Dr. Ma\u00ebl Mauchand, a neuroscientist at the Swiss Center for Affective <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a>s at the University of Geneva.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We show that complaining strategies show specific variations across two francophone cultures, with Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois sounding more angry or surprised and French speakers sounding sadder.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conventions_for_complaints\"><\/span>Conventions for complaints<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Knowing in detail what complaints sound like could help researchers understand how they are perceived and how they elicit empathy in others.<\/p>\n<p>For the experiment, the researchers recruited eight speakers (four French and four Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois) who recorded 84 short sentences in a neutral and a complaining voice\u2014irrespective of linguistic content. Then, 40 people living in Quebec, half of whom had grown up in France, assessed the emotions (h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y, sad, angry, surprised, fearful, disgusted) in a selection of utterances.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Complaining strategies seem consistent toward defining a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> &#8216;complaining tone of voice&#8217;, with a few specific cultural variations,&#8221; Mauchand explained. For example, complaints were delivered with a higher and more variable pitch as well as louder and slower in general.<\/p>\n<p>These parameters differed slightly between cultures, for example, the French spoke at a higher pitch. In contrast, Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois showed greater pitch variability, which indicates more pronounced changes in intonation across their complaint.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sad_or_angry\"><\/span>Sad or angry?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Complaints reconstruct emotional states and speakers complain to convey or re-live a negative experience. Accordingly, they convey strong emotions that stress this negativity. On an emotional level, listening participants rated Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois as sounding angrier, more surprised, and more disgusted than French speakers, whereas French speakers were rated as sounding sadder.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There may be cultural norms on what a complaint sounds like in France or in Quebec, influenced by their use,&#8221; Mauchand explained.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The French are said to complain quite often\u2014if complaining is frequent and ritualized, it makes sense that complainers try to make their voice sound less aggressive, for example by using higher intonation and sounding more sad than angry.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois are generally more expressive in their speech, which might explain why high-arousal emotions like surprise or anger are more prominent in their complaints.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There may be <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> conventions on what a complaint sounds like in a particular culture, which can be learned as we grow up,&#8221; Mauchand pointed out. &#8220;How we complain is a subtle interplay between emotion, social context, and cultural display rules.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ads w-100 my-4 article-main__more bg-light p-3 border\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-3\">\n        Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over <strong>100,000 subscribers<\/strong> who rely on Phys.org for daily insights.<br \/>\n        Sign up for our <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a> and get updates on breakthroughs,<br \/>\n        innovations, and research that matter\u2014<strong>daily or weekly<\/strong>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Beyond_words\"><\/span>Beyond words<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The researchers pointed out that their sample size, limited in both the number of speakers and cultures represented, could mean their results aren&#8217;t generalizable. In addition, complaints may take other forms in longer statements or interactions. Further research could examine if such cultural differences can be found in speakers of the same language who grew up in different cultures.<\/p>\n<p>While the trend might be universal, such variations could depend on the cultural importance of complaints: how often a culture complains, why people complain, and how complaints are received by others, the team said.<\/p>\n<p>The work highlights the critical role of the tone of voice in social interactions and the information may be used in studies about communication disorders and in therapy training.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As an immediate application, it could encourage people to be more attentive,&#8221; concluded Mauchand. &#8220;Not just to what people say, but how they say it\u2014and what it implies.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Sound of Complaints, <i>Frontiers in Communication<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.3389\/fcomm.2025.1592994\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.3389\/fcomm.2025.1592994<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhy some complaints sound angrier: Study uncovers cultural clues in voices (2025, July 22)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 22 July 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-07-complaints-angrier-uncovers-cultural-clues.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-07-complaints-angrier-uncovers-cultural-clues.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: Kampus Production from Pexels It has long been established that emotions reflect in our voice\u2014this helps us communicate more purposefully and gives listeners cues as to how they should interpret what we say. But what emotions predominate in complaints\u2014and how do they differ between groups? Researchers in Switzerland and Canada investigated and published their&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":680978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/customer-demand.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-680977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=680977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680977\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=680977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=680977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=680977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}