Personality Traits and Self-Reported Vocal Fatigue and Other Voice Measures Among Teachers.
Lynn Maxfield, Darla Lowe, Lady Catherine Cantor-Cutiva and 1 others
PMID 39395878WHAT IT FOUND
In 73 teachers, higher vocal fatigue scores linked to lower extraversion and agreeableness.
Longer breath-holding during testing linked to lower conscientiousness and openness. These are cross-sectional associations; voice measures cannot diagnose personality, and personality may simply change how symptoms are reported.
Key findings
01Teachers reporting higher vocal fatigue were less likely to score high on extraversion and agreeableness.
02Longer forced expiratory time was associated with lower conscientiousness and lower openness.
03Voice measures had limited predictive value for personality traits, with sensitivities ranging from 57% to 82%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Cross-sectional design: cannot prove that personality causes voice changes or vice versa. Self-selection: teachers volunteered, so the sample may not represent all teachers. Modest predictive power: many voice measures had low sensitivity and specificity for personality. Small sample size: 73 participants limits the reliability of subgroup findings.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that voice or lung test results reveal a patient's personality. The associations are weak and cross-sectional. A patient's high vocal fatigue score might reflect genuine physical strain, or it might reflect a tendency toward neuroticism or introversion. You cannot separate the two with these tests.