Science and Nature

Listening to the voices

Four percent of people hear voices

Now the University of Manchester is taking it one step further and trying to discover some of the factors that influence how people respond to and cope with their voices, with the hope that increased understanding will enable developments in psychological treatment to better help those who find their voices distressing.

But how can hearing voices in your head be a good thing? Researcher Aylish Campbell says voices are a natural part of life and that how it affects you depends how you react to the experience.

Aylish Campbell

"Research suggests that many people hear voices in their head without suffering from any mental illness," she explains, "Some people report that their voices offer them encouragement, comfort or inspiration as they go about their lives.

"Many researchers believe that hearing voices may be part of normal human experience and that everyone is susceptible to hearing voices to differing degrees - for instance, most people have had the experience of hearing someone call their name when in fact nobody is present.

"However, people respond to hearing voices in very different ways. Some experience extreme distress and fear, which can cause disruption to their lives, while others accept or welcome their voices."

It’s thought that the voices heard by psychiatric patients and members of the general population seem to be of the same volume and frequency, yet they are interpreted differently. The team believes that external factors such as a person’s life experiences and beliefs may be the key to these differences: for example, the presence of childhood trauma or negative beliefs about themselves could have an affect.

According to Aylish, if a person is "struggling to overcome a trauma or views themselves as worthless or vulnerable, or other people as aggressive, they may be more likely to interpret their voices as harmful, hostile or powerful."