How is it that little kids can produce ear shattering screeches when they laugh, cry, or scream, but adults can’t?

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How is it that little kids can produce ear shattering screeches when they laugh, cry, or scream, but adults can’t?

In: Biology

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Shorter vocal chords can develop higher pitches, that’s also why women have higher pitched voices than men

Babies also have little control over the volume of their voices, they don’t care and will scream as loud as they can.

People tend to control the volume of their voices all of the time without even realizing it. It’s quite difficult to shout as loud as you can.

Interestingly deaf people can still make noises with their vocal chords. I’ve heard stories of deaf night at bars where deaf people play darts and drink and make deafening incoherent screams non-stop because they can’t hear themselves so they can’t tone themselves down.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Smaller vocal folds.

Just like tiny whistles make higher sounds or tiny strings make high pitch tones… like on a guitar.

The vocal cords of babies are smaller than adults. When the air goes thru, the string vibrates faster, making a higher sound.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Suitably motivated most adults can produce screeching screams, those motivations are thankfully rare.

Anonymous 0 Comments

I have heard a few old man sneezes that made me think my life was about to end. Terrifyingly loud.

Anonymous 0 Comments

In addition to the above answers, we as adults are wired to find the sound of crying/screaming children unbearable so that we’re motivated to comfort them. Therefore, we might perceive their cries as louder than they are.