As a mother and education researcher, I understand how parents and teachers can easily become frustrated in their roles. Even if we intellectually understand children’s developmental realities, it can be emotionally challenging to address their problematic behaviors or motivate them to carry out desired behaviors while juggling our many other responsibilities. While we may feel guilty for yelling, there is, in fact, a reason why humans have the capacity to yell in the first place—and, as it turns out, it is quite a functional one.

Yelling has deep biological roots. Prosodic modulation—or adjusting aspects of our voice such as pitch, loudness, and duration of sounds—played a crucial role in our prehistoric ancestors’ social interactions, conveying emotions such as politeness and dominance.⁶ These vocal behaviors, seen across various species, are evolutionarily tied to emotional arousal in contexts like territorial defense, social bonding, and mating, suggesting that emotional vocal coordination may have been foundational in the development of language.

In today’s world, we still adjust how loud, high, or fast we talk depending on how we perceive our own social status—and especially the social status of the person we’re talking to. As such, raising our voices is often a mechanism for conveying urgency, asserting or seeking authority, or expressing strong emotions, which can be crucial in both confrontational and cooperative human interactions.⁷

However, yelling is not just a physiological and evolutionary response; it can also be a learned behavior shaped by upbringing and societal norms. According to Albert Bandura’s social learning theory, we can learn new behaviors by observing and imitating others.⁸ For instance, children learn skills, attitudes, and beliefs by watching how those around them act and the outcomes of those actions—which can include learning to yell. 

In his social cognitive theory (an extension of social learning theory), Bandura expands upon the cognitive processes involved in learning, such as understanding the meaning and implications of observed actions.^9,10 In other words, when we learn behaviors by watching and imitating others, we also understand the context, consequences, and social significance of those behaviors. We mimic actions while also grasping their underlying meanings and the social norms that govern them. Therefore, not only can we learn to yell as a child from how those around us communicate, but we also learn the meaning behind that yelling, which can have varied interpretations and emotional implications across contexts and cultures. 

For instance, an athletic coach in a school may raise their voice during a sporting event to energize and motivate their players, which the athletes may have learned to interpret positively as a strategy to enhance team morale and encourage performance. Conversely, when a classroom teacher at that same school shouts in frustration to discipline a student, the same vocal intensity may be perceived negatively, leading to fear or resentment. The athletes and students in these examples have learned to interpret the meaning of yelling in these respective contexts differently. 

In short, the research tells us that yelling has both biological and social roots. While our evolutionary history has shaped the functional aspects of yelling that persist today, our interactions and upbringing significantly influence whether we yell or not. This duality suggests that yelling is not merely a primal instinct but also a behavior shaped by our individual experiences. Even our interpretation of yelling and, subsequently, how it affects us emotionally can be learned.

While yelling may have helped our ancestors survive, it is also linked to numerous negative effects. In fact, there is a large body of literature dedicated to outlining how yelling—particularly at children and adolescents—can significantly affect development and worsen the very problematic behaviors it was intended to correct.¹¹ 

Studies have long reported that yelling, whether at home, school, or elsewhere, can have long-lasting psychological effects on children, including low self-esteem, aggression, and difficulty forming relationships.¹² Yelling has also been shown to possibly disrupt cognitive functions, making it harder for students to concentrate and retain information.

Unfortunately, the impacts are not only cognitive but emotional as well. Children exposed to frequent yelling have been reported to be more likely to exhibit anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems.¹¹ Many scholars even equate yelling to a form of verbal aggression and thereby argue it can be as harmful as physical punishment, leaving emotional scars that persist into adulthood. Neuroscientific research demonstrates that exposure to loud, aggressive voices activates the amygdala, the brain's fear center, impairing the prefrontal cortex's ability to process information and solve problems.¹³ 

It’s important to note that yelling also affects the yeller. Elevated stress hormones like cortisol can have adverse health effects, including high blood pressure and weakened immune response.¹⁴ In both home and educational environments, this creates a cycle of stress that is difficult to break. For example, a student who experiences yelling from a stressed teacher may suffer from heightened anxiety, impairing their ability to concentrate and learn. This poor academic performance can lead to further negative responses from the teacher, resulting in additional stress and health issues for that teacher, such as hypertension and weakened immune response. 

The reality is that most research has discovered that the harmful effects of yelling impact everyone involved: both the individuals being yelled at and those doing the yelling. However, it’s crucial to consider whether these negative outcomes are inherent to yelling itself or influenced by its local context. Could the consequences vary significantly depending on the situation in which the outburst exists—such as culture?

Most research on vocal communication has focused on Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies. Yet, we know how significant of a role culture plays in not only how we express stress such as by yelling, but how we actually experience stress in the first place. Several studies show that dynamics more prominent in certain non-WEIRD sociocultural contexts—like familism, or the cultural value that emphasizes close family relationships and the prioritization of loved ones over self—can in fact buffer the physiological effects of stress.^15,16 Such research suggests that cultural differences impact the coping mechanisms people use when stressed and their overall ability to manage that stress. Consequently, even if yelling is considered a stressor itself, its impact may vary significantly depending on the specific social context and cultural backdrop. 

It’s also worth noting that different cultures have varying tolerance levels for noise. In some cultures, loud communication is expected, and quieter people may be seen as disengaged or aloof. In contrast, other places have laws that make it illegal to speak above a certain volume, such as Japan’s Environmental Noise Regulation Act.¹⁷ As such, we must remember that yelling might have different meanings and uses across cultures. In some cultures, raising one's voice might be a neutral or perhaps even positive form of communication to convey happiness or excitement. In other cultures, raising one’s voice might be a learned response to high-stress situations, used to express frustration and regain control quickly. Thus, the effects and interpretations of yelling can vary significantly depending on cultural norms.

Research also shows an in-group advantage for emotion recognition in speech.¹⁸ In other words, we are more likely to accurately interpret the meaning behind yelling from someone who is within our sociocultural bubble than outside of it. Cultural norms influence interpretations of behavior, suggesting that in cultures where yelling is more accepted, any negative psychological impacts of yelling may be mitigated. Even if the fundamental psychological mechanisms underlying the impact of yelling may be universal, cultural norms significantly shape how yelling is perceived and its subsequent effects on individuals. 

Much of the literature around yelling is based on the assumption that yelling itself always induces fear and anxiety.¹⁹ This is because many studies also identify other confounding variables that often go hand in hand with yelling that might actually be causing (or at least heightening) any negative emotional effects.²⁰ Such factors include:²¹

• Household chaos or disorganization (lack of routine or predictability)
• Instability (disruptions in the home environment) 
• Corporal punishment (infliction of physical pain as punishment)

In other words, the majority of research tends to overlook communities and households where yelling occurs in otherwise healthy living and learning environments. This makes it difficult to evaluate the effects of yelling in isolation from other influencing factors. For instance, if a relationship is already strained, yelling may simply be reflecting a harmful environment rather than being a primary cause of stress on its own. Similarly, if harmful or negative words are being yelled, the resulting stress might stem more from the content (the harmful words themselves) or the tone (the aggression in the delivery) than from the volume (the fact that it’s being yelled). It begs the question: would yelling positive words at the same volume between people in a positive relationship cause the same stress? This distinction is important, as the emotional impact could be tied to what is being said or how it’s being communicated, rather than just the act of raising one’s voice.

Furthermore, while yelling is often discussed as a single, universal behavior, it actually exists on a spectrum with many different forms and intensities. Therefore, its impacts can vary widely. The average volume of human speech is 55-65 decibels. However, when we account for the extremes—whispering on one end and screaming on the other—the range expands to 20-125 decibels.²² The graph below shows how there are ranges even within the different forms of speaking (normal speech, raised, very loud, and shouting), which are moderated further by the physical distance between the individuals involved.

The differences in how people yell, from shouting to screaming, vary not only in loudness but also in their acoustic qualities—meaning that each type of yelling has its own unique sound characteristics. In another study, twelve people were asked to make both positive and negative screams that might arise in various situations.²³ During this time, a separate group listened to these screams and rated the emotions they conveyed. They also had their brains scanned with an fMRI while listening. The study found six different types of screams that represented a wide variety of emotions like pain, anger, fear, pleasure, sadness, and joy. The spectrogram below, which displays the frequencies on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis, shows how each type of scream is acoustically distinct. This resulted in varied impacts across screams.

The listeners reacted faster and more accurately to the positive screams compared to the alarming ones. In fact, the less alarming screams activated more areas of the brain related to hearing and processing emotions. The researchers concluded that human screams are more varied and complex in their emotional communication than people often think.

Similarly, while yelling has been known to be a stressor and negatively impact the yeller, there is also research that shows that in other contexts, the act of yelling can actually have a calming effect on the autonomic nervous system, the part that controls involuntary physiological functions.²⁴ In this case, yelling can mitigate some of the physiological responses associated with stress. This suggests that it is plausible for yelling to be a functional response rather than merely an expression of anger or frustration. 

So, while research often assumes that yelling inherently causes fear or anxiety, this overlooks important factors like the tone, content, and context of the yelling. Instances where yelling is not harmful suggest that its negative effects can be reduced or eliminated when it occurs in supportive environments or is directed toward positive outcomes, such as motivating others or providing emotional release.

So is yelling inherently harmful? Not necessarily. You may not want to consistently surround your newborn with loud or harsh tones (which has been shown to induce stress in babies²⁵), but you shouldn’t vilify any and all who speak above a certain decibel either. There just isn’t enough literature to suggest that the mere increase of voice modulation is harmful on its own. 

Instead, the impact of yelling is shaped by its cause, the context in which it occurs, the culture surrounding its use, and the content of what is being communicated. Studies on yelling typically either investigate abusive environments or WEIRD societies, which are not sufficient in capturing the variations in vocal communication across cultures.²⁶ For example, some African, Mediterranean, and Latin American cultures—where expressive and loud communication is common—might not associate yelling with hostility or aggression as strongly as other cultures do.²⁷ 

To be clear, the message here is not that we should encourage yelling. Instead, I’m urging two things for when we study yelling—or when we study anything, for that matter:

1. Inclusive research: It is crucial to develop theoretical underpinnings and recruit research participants to better capture non-WEIRD societies in yelling studies. Understanding the nuances of how yelling affects everyone across contexts and cultures is crucial for fostering healthier environments in our diverse world. It’s important to recognize that what may be harmful in one cultural context could be neutral or even positive in another. Broad generalizations about the effects of yelling can lead to misguided parenting or educational practices; therefore, research should consider these cultural differences to provide more accurate and applicable insights.
2. Critical consumption of research: We should challenge the methods and subject matters of studies before we take their findings as capital T truth. Even when the methods are sound, we should challenge the extent to which the learnings are generalizable. When do the findings apply and when do they not? What are the confounding variables that may be affecting the accuracy of the conclusions? Be critical in your research consumption.

To yell or not to yell isn't just a matter of volume—it’s about everything within (cause and content) and around (context and culture) that volume. Yelling can harm but it can also heal, depending on how it’s used and understood. To create supportive environments in homes and schools, we must consider the nuances that shape the perception of raised voices and address the harm only if and when it arises. By focusing on the reasons behind and realities around yelling, we can understand this form of communication with empathy rather than simply judging it by its loudness.