Last Updated: on May 5, 2023 by Jack
Why Do We Talk More Loudly with Headphones On?
Humans are naturally programmed to make themselves heard. Sitting in a noisy bar, we will talk more loudly than in a library, for example. So if someone is hearing sound through headphones, they will instinctively talk loud enough to compete with whatever they are hearing. This is despite the fact that the person they are talking to isn’t hearing the same thing, so the volume they’re using ends up being way too loud for the environment outside of the headphones.
When wearing headphones, we can’t hear our own voice as we normally would. Usually we hear our own voice externally. As we talk, the sound vibrations created by our mouths travel round to our ears. We hear this along with any other sounds, such as other people talking or music. We automatically adjust our speech volume to fit with all the other sound levels. But with headphones, the sound vibrations don’t arrive in our brains. This may still be the case with over-ear headphones even if there were no sound coming through them, or ear plugs, or if someone has blocked ears or hearing loss. In all these cases, people might end up sounding like they’re shouting because they can’t hear their own voice, and because they can’t hear background noises enough to adjust their volume appropriately.
How can you avoid talking too loudly when using headphones? There are two different approaches: psychological, or “brain training”, and technical, in other words having the right kit and using it on the right settings.
How to Talk More Quietly With Headphones On
Psychological
For some people, simply being aware of their natural tendency to be too loud, and making an effort to talk more quietly, will be enough. Trying to speak in a normal tone of voice despite the noises in your ears may be quite difficult and take some getting used to. But in the same way that deaf people can still learn how to talk, it is possible to learn how to speak at the right volume without being able to hear yourself. It might help to imagine that someone is sitting right next to you and that you’re having a normal conversation with them. It might also work to deliberately develop a quiet voice for speaking in headphones, allowing you to be heard, if you need to be, but quieter for those physically around you.
Simply reducing the volume of the game or music might help by preventing you from over-compensating. Leave one of the headphones slightly off the ear so that you are hearing yourself in the room. Instead of over-ear headphones, you could try in-ear headphones and leave one of them out so that you are also hearing the space around you. This is similar to a television presenter who wears an earpiece so that they can hear the production team but has to speak and interact normally on set. However, all of this will be less immersive.
Technical
If none of these are ideal, different kinds of equipment may help.
Open-back headphones may work. These go over the ear but are designed so that the sound isn’t blocked. You will hear ambient noise and the sounds tend to be less distorted. You’ll also be able to hear yourself speak. But it does mean that everyone else around you hears what you are hearing, which makes them no good for commuting, for example. But they might work in your own space.
If you need to be heard, for example in gaming or streaming, consider getting a standalone microphone to put in front of you instead of using the inbuilt mic on the PC or device you’re using. A good quality standalone mic will pick up your voice much better, meaning that you can speak quietly and still be heard. It will also make you more aware of your voice and the sounds you’re producing because it’s right in front of you! Many gaming casters wear headphones and broadcast using a mic directly in front of their face.
You can also get headsets which will pick up your own voice. This is ideal, as you will hear how you sound and be able to adjust accordingly. Some headphones have settings for this, but it may also be possible to change the settings on Windows or other operating systems so that whatever the mic is picking up is fed into your headphones. This is called input monitoring. It’s standard in a recording studio, for example, so that an artist can hear their own voice while performing.
If none of these work sufficiently and the problem occurs in your own space, consider repositioning your equipment so others will hear less noise, for example moving the computer to another wall so that you’re facing a different direction. Simple soundproofing measures such as placing rugs or soft material on the walls might help, as this can be very effective at absorbing sound.
Conclusion
It’s perfectly natural to shout or talk more loudly when you’re hearing noise through headphones. Simply being aware of this and trying to compensate may be enough to stop yourself doing it. If that doesn’t work, however, consider getting the kind of kit – or changing the settings on the kit you have – that will enable you to hear your own voice so that you can adjust your volume just as you normally would.