Folks may know when you’re upset or riddled with driving anxiety based on the choice words you select. But you may also be giving away your emotions based on the vowels you use.
This fascinating fact came to light in a study published in Emotion, the journal of the American Psychiatry Association. Researchers Ralf Rummer and Martine Grice found that two vowel sounds in particular can indicate the emotional state of the person emitting the sounds.
- The /i:/ sound in words such as like, bike and spike
- The /o:/ sound in worlds such as bone, zone and alone
The study found people who peppered their conversations with words containing the /i:/ sound were typically in a positive mood, and using that sound could bring about a positive mindset. The opposite held true for the /o:/ sound, which was generally used by those in a negative mood and tended to create a negative emotional state.
The Experiments
A pair of experiments from psychologist Rummer and phoneticist Grice put the theory to task.
The first experiment involved subjects in either positive or negative moods who were asked to make up and speak words. Those in positive moods created more words with the /i:/ sound while those with negative mindsets created more words with the /o:/ sound.
The second experiment had subjects view and rate cartoons while repeatedly making either the /i:/ or /o:/ sound. Those that went for the /i:/ sound rated the cartoons as funnier than those that articulated the /o:/ sound.
The Reasoning
Researchers pointed out that the /i:/ sound uses the same facial muscle that’s involved in smiling, officially known as the zygomaticus major muscle, or ZMM. The /o:/ sound, by contrast, uses the facial muscle that works directly against the ZMM, a muscle known as the orbicularis orbis muscle, OOM.
The Conclusion
Based on what their experiments uncovered, Rummer and Grice suggested that when people are picking up language, they learn the /i:/ sound is linked to positive feelings. They then use words containing the sound when describing positive situations.
The opposite happens with the /o:/ sound, which people learn is linked to negative feelings. They opt for words containing the sound when talking about negative circumstances.
In a report on the study, PsychCentral points out that English isn’t the only language in which such a phenomenon occurs. The /i:/ is consistently found in positively charged words and the /o:/ sound in negatively charged words in many languages.
A quick spot-check in English backs up the theory with several words that come immediately to mind:
- Positively charged words with the /i:/ sound: like, delight, kind
- Negatively charged words with the /o:/ sound: woe, bemoan, alone
Being aware of this tendency can give you a bit of ammo to use the next time you’re besot with driving anxiety. Try reciting a series of words with the /i:/ sound, or even simply repeating the sound itself in a kind of mantra. The articulation of the sound will force your face into a smile and perhaps help to decrease your anxiety. If not, it at least serves as pleasant distraction when you could use one most.
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Photo Credit: Charlie Stinchcomb via Compfight cc
