{"id":3566,"date":"2020-08-31T15:50:02","date_gmt":"2020-08-31T22:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/can-you-hear-me-how-cell-yell-could-be-harming-your-voice\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T13:32:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T20:32:36","slug":"can-you-hear-me-how-cell-yell-could-be-harming-your-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/can-you-hear-me-how-cell-yell-could-be-harming-your-voice\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Hear Me? How Cell Yell Could Be Harming Your Voice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Can You Hear Me? How Cell Yell Could Be Harming Your Voice<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n \n August 31, 2020<\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n \n
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It\u2019s not just talking on your cell phone \u2014 all those conference calls and virtual meetings may also be taking a toll on your vocal cords.<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve all heard someone talking loudly on their cell phone in public, but chances are we\u2019ve all been guilty of it, too. This phenomenon, sometimes referred to as \u201ccell yell,\u201d isn\u2019t just irritating to listen to \u2014 it can actually harm the speaker\u2019s vocal cords. Here\u2019s why we do it and how to keep our voices healthy during calls and virtual meetings.<\/p>\n

What is cell yell, and why do we do it?<\/h3>\n

Cell yell describes a person\u2019s tendency to talk louder than usual when using a cell phone or speaker phone, explains\u00a0Lauren Timmons Sund, CCC-SLP<\/a>, speech pathology director at the\u00a0USC Voice Center<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0Keck Medicine of USC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe term predates the age of videoconferencing, but more recent research shows the same concept applies,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

In fact, one\u00a0small study<\/a>\u00a0found that people on the phone or video calls talk with more than four times the vocal intensity as they do with in-person conversations.<\/p>\n

One reason we talk louder over the phone or on a video call is because there\u2019s more background noise we\u2019re trying to be heard over, according to Timmons Sund. We also may not be able to hear ourselves talk very well, and the psychological perception of greater distance from the listener may cause us to raise our voices too, she adds.<\/p>\n

How can cell yell damage your voice?<\/h3>\n

Our voice works as air from our lungs is passed through our\u00a0vocal folds<\/a>, also called vocal cords, which are two bands of\u00a0muscle<\/a>\u00a0on either side of the larynx, or voice box, in our throats.<\/p>\n

\u201cTalking louder than usual for extended periods of time increases your risk of injury to the vocal folds, which can result in vocal fatigue and hoarseness,\u201d Timmons Sund says.<\/p>\n

With so many people working virtually now, this phenomenon appears to be on the rise, according to\u00a0Eugenia Castro, CCC-SLP<\/a>, a speech-language pathologist at the USC Voice Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the USC Voice Center, we are seeing more patients who are noticing voice problems related to more frequent and longer virtual communications, such as vocal fatigue and strain, feeling tension or a lump in the throat or voice changes,\u201d Castro says.<\/p>\n

And you might not even realize you\u2019re hurting your voice until after it happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike in other areas of the body, voice hoarseness typically occurs without the warning sign of pain, and people tend to push their voice out \u2014 leading to further injury to the vocal folds,\u201d says\u00a0Michael Johns, III, MD<\/a>, director of the USC Voice Center and a professor of clinical otolaryngology \u2013 head and neck surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.<\/p>\n

How is cell yell different from regular laryngitis?<\/h3>\n

Voice hoarseness and laryngitis can occur when you\u2019re sick with a cold, but losing your voice from cell yell isn\u2019t the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe two most common causes of hoarseness are acute laryngitis, which is caused by a viral infection, and voice-use related vocal fold trauma, which is caused by vocal overuse and misuse,\u201d Johns says.<\/p>\n

How you can protect your voice<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re spending a lot of time talking on the phone or on video calls, Castro recommends taking the following steps to protect your voice against damage:<\/p>\n