Can you tell age by voice?
Matthew Barrera
Updated on May 13, 2026
People are also surprisingly good at determining a speaker's age just by hearing the person's voice. In a 2010 study detailed in the Journal of Social, Evolutionary and Cultural Psychology, researchers asked 97 people to listen to 100 samples of speakers ages 2 through 67.
Why can you tell age by voice?
As we age, we lose some bulk and mass there. The vocal folds shrink and are not as efficient at vibrating to produce sound; they don't come together as they did and that adds to that rough, breathier sound.How does your voice sound when older?
When you age, you lose muscle mass and volume, which makes the voice weaker. Other vocal issues can also arise. If the vocal cords separate a bit and no longer connect, you get presbyphonia. It causes you to sound hoarse, or have a weaker voice.Do people's voices age?
As people get older, the larynx (voice box), vocal folds (cords), and voice-producing mechanism age along with the rest of the body. Age-related voice changes develop as muscle and other tissues in the larynx and vocal cords shrink, thin, and stiffen.Does your voice deepen as you age?
A. Men's voices deepen in the teenage years, but a different kind of change can happen later in life. Doctors call that change presbyphonia, meaning "aging voice." Over time, the vocal cords become drier and have less ability to vibrate at high speeds, which provides the tone in your voice.Why does your voice change as you get older? - Shaylin A. Schundler
How can I stop my voice from aging?
5 Steps to Keeping the Aging Voice Healthy
- Be Aware. Content. Knowledge is power. ...
- Maintain Your Overall Health. Content. ...
- Practice Good Vocal Hygiene. Content. ...
- Use It or Lose It. Content. ...
- Voice Therapy. Content.