Portrait of a woman with a neutral expression, mouth open as if yelling. She wears a patterned head wrap, and the background features warm, geometric designs. The ambiguous expression leaves her emotions unclear, evoking mystery.

Beyond the Noise: What Yelling Research is Not Telling You

Author headshotDr. Maraki Kebede
read time - icon

0 min read

Oct 12, 2024

In today’s fast-paced world, yelling has become a frequent response to stress and frustration. Recent U.S. data shows that 88% of workers experience burnout, and 87% have had a vocal outburst at work in the last six months.1 

However, these outbursts are not confined to the workplace—in fact, far from it. Public incidents captured on social media, whether it be during the Olympics when an athlete’s mother yelled at security out of concern for her son’s health or even by household names like Justin Bieber and “Spock,” have fueled conversations about the impact of yelling.2,3,4 The widespread concern particularly surrounds how such outbursts might influence children due to their heightened emotional sensitivity from their developing brains.5 

But amidst these conversations, it’s worth asking: is yelling inherently harmful? What factors influence the impact of yelling? Today, we’ll explore how the “Four Cs”—Causes, Contextual factors, Cultural realities, and the Content of what is said—influence the potential effects yelling can have. 

References

  1. Hanna, K. The Truth About Worker Burnout Revealed. My Perfect Resume. https://www.myperfectresume.com/career-center/careers/basics/worker-burnout 
  2. Selleck, E. (2024). Noah Lyles' mom 'was YELLING in the face' of Paris Olympics security after Covid-stricken son's 200m bronze, claims fan. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-13737523/Olympics-Noah-Lyles-mom-lied-security-200m.html 
  3. JJ Staff (2024). Justin Bieber Goes Viral for Video of Him Yelling at Teens in Public, Reason Why Revealed. Just Jared. https://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/5062542/justin-bieber-yells-at-teens-heckling-him-01/
  4. Yadav, A. (2024). ‘A terrible customer,’ Toronto cafe calls out Star Trek actor for yelling at their staff. Now Toronto. https://nowtoronto.com/news/a-terrible-customer-toronto-cafe-calls-out-star-trek-actor-for-yelling-at-their-staff/
  5. Faruque, O. (2024). ‘This makes my stomach turn’: Mom takes abusive husband down by recording him yelling at their daughter over a grilled cheese sandwich. WGTC. https://wegotthiscovered.com/social-media/mom-takes-abusive-husband-down-by-recording-him-yelling-at-their-daughter-over-a-grilled-cheese-sandwich/ 
  6. Mikucka, M., & Rybicki, M. (2019). Discussion on the genesis of transformation in organizations. Toruńskie Studia Historyczne, 12(1), 111–129. https://doi.org/10.12775/ths.2019.005 
  7. Leongómez, J. D., Mileva, V.R., Little, A.C., & Roberts, S. C. (2017). Perceived differences in social status between speaker and listener affect the speaker's vocal characteristics. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0179407 
  8.  Lamb, J. C., & Bornstein, R. F. (2011). Pseudopsychology. In V. S. Ramachandran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (2nd ed., pp. 43–50). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2695 
  9. Boston University. (2022). Behavior change models: The social cognitive theory. Boston University School of Public Health. https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/sb/behavioralchangetheories/behavioralchangetheories5.html 
  10. McKenzie, K., & Schweitzer, R. D. (2004). The relationship between emotional intelligence and well-being. Motivation and Emotion, 28(3), 295-308. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532785XMEP0303_03 
  11. Wang, M. T., & Kenny, S. (2014). Longitudinal links between fathers' and mothers' harsh verbal discipline and adolescents' conduct problems and depressive symptoms. Child development, 85(3), 908–923. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12143  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.01.019 
  12. Madormo, C. (2023). The Psychological Effects of Being Yelled At. Very Well Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/trauma-response-to-being-yelled-at-5248787
  13. Phelps, E. A., Delgado, M. R., Nearing, K. I., & LeDoux, J. E. (2004). Extinction learning in humans: role of the amygdala and vmPFC. Neuron, 43(6), 897–905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2004.08.042 
  14. Sapolsky, R.M. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. New York, NY: Holt Paperbacks.
  15. Campos, B., Yim, I. S., & Busse, D. (2018). Culture as a Pathway to Maximizing the Stress-Buffering Role of Social Support. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 40(3), 294-311. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986318772490 
  16. Vidal de Haymes, M., Martone, J., Muñoz, L., & Grossman, S. (2011). Family Cohesion and Social Support: Protective Factors for Acculturation Stress Among Low-Acculturated Mexican Migrants. Journal of Poverty, 15(4), 403–426. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2011.615608 
  17. Lios (n.d.). Noise regulations in Japan: One of the most urbanised countries in the world. Lios. https://www.lios-group.com/news/noise-regulations-in-japan-one-of-the-most-urbanised-countries-in-the-world 
  18. Laukka, P., & Elfenbein, H. A. (2021). Cross-Cultural Emotion Recognition and In-Group Advantage in Vocal Expression: A Meta-Analysis. Emotion Review, 13(1), 3-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073919897295 
  19. Harvard University (2010). Persistent fear and anxiety can affect young children’s learning and development. The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Persistent-Fear-and-Anxiety-Can-Affect-Young-Childrens-Learning-and-Development.pdf 
  20. Garrett-Peters, P. T., Mokrova, I., Vernon-Feagans, L., Willoughby, M., Pan, Y., & Family Life Project Key Investigators (2016). The role of household chaos in understanding relations between early poverty and children's academic achievement. Early childhood research quarterly, 37, 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.02.004 
  21. Gershoff, E. T., & Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2016). Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses. Journal of Family Psychology, 30(4), 453–469. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000191 
  22. dB (2024. How many decibels does a human speak normally? Decibel Pro. https://decibelpro.app/blog/how-many-decibels-does-a-human-speak-normally/  
  23. Frühholz, S., Dietziker, J., Staib, M., & Trost, W. (2021). Neurocognitive processing efficiency for discriminating human non-alarm rather than alarm scream calls. PLOS Biology. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000751 
  24. Tu, M.-Y., Chu, H., Lai, C.-Y., Chiang, K.-T., Huang, C.-C., Chin, H.-C., Wen, Y.-H., & Chen, C.-L. (2021). Effect of standardized yelling on subjective perception and autonomic nervous system activity in motion sickness. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health,18, 12854. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312854 
  25. Fabian-Weber, N. (2024). The effects of yelling at a baby: What parents and caregivers need to know. Care. https://www.care.com/c/effects-of-yelling-at-a-baby/ 
  26. Bryant, G.A. (2022). Vocal communication across cultures: theoretical and methodological issues. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B37720200387 http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0387 
  27. Cao, L., & Gross, J. (2015). Cultural Differences in Perceiving Sounds Generated by Others: Self Matters. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1865. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01865 

About the Author

Dr. Maraki Kebede

Dr. Maraki Kebede

Maraki is a Project Leader at The Decision Lab. Her research focuses on social and spatial equity in education globally, and has been featured in peer-reviewed journals, edited volumes, and international conferences. Maraki has worked with several international organizations to craft pathways to empower underserved school-aged children and youth in Africa, including UNESCO, the World Bank, the Institute of International Education, and Geneva Global Inc.

About us

We are the leading applied research & innovation consultancy

Our insights are leveraged by the most ambitious organizations

Image

“

I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.

Heather McKee

BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST

GLOBAL COFFEEHOUSE CHAIN PROJECT

OUR CLIENT SUCCESS

$0M

Annual Revenue Increase

By launching a behavioral science practice at the core of the organization, we helped one of the largest insurers in North America realize $30M increase in annual revenue.

0%

Increase in Monthly Users

By redesigning North America's first national digital platform for mental health, we achieved a 52% lift in monthly users and an 83% improvement on clinical assessment.

0%

Reduction In Design Time

By designing a new process and getting buy-in from the C-Suite team, we helped one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world reduce software design time by 75%.

0%

Reduction in Client Drop-Off

By implementing targeted nudges based on proactive interventions, we reduced drop-off rates for 450,000 clients belonging to USA's oldest debt consolidation organizations by 46%

Let's chat

Read Next

Notes illustration

Eager to learn about how behavioral science can help your organization?

Contact us