A New Study Shows That Twangy Voices Are Easier to Understand in Noisy Places—Especially When Spoken by Women
A fascinating new study out of Indiana University just revealed that twangy voices—think southern or country accents—are easier to understand in loud environments than neutral-toned speech. And the effect is even more pronounced when the twang comes from female speakers.
The researchers call it something of a “Dolly Parton effect”: a voice with some country flair tends to carry more clearly and causes less listener fatigue, especially in chaotic or noisy settings.
Why? It comes down to acoustics.
Twangy voices emphasize certain frequencies in the 1,000 to 3,000 hertz range, which is considered the “sweet spot” for speech intelligibility. That boost helps the voice cut through background noise and grab a listener’s attention.
The study even went as far as to suggest that train conductors, airline pilots, and emergency broadcasters could benefit from adopting a more twang-infused delivery to improve clarity in their communications.
🗣️ “Hey Houston. It’s Delta up here, man. How y’all doin’ down there? Just wanted to let you know we’ll be landin’ in no time.”
All jokes aside, next time you’re struggling to be heard in a noisy crowd, try adding a little honky-tonk to your voice. You might be surprised how well it works.
