Sounds That Spark Emotion: New Insights from Early Childhood Studies
The curious connection between sounds and emotions has long intrigued linguists, and recent research from Arizona State University sheds new light on this phenomenon. Known as the “gleam-glum effect,” specific phonetic sounds are found to evoke distinct emotional responses, a link that appears to form early in life.
In a groundbreaking study, researchers examined the responses of both college students and 5-year-old children to explore how strongly they associate the “ee” and “uh” sounds with emotions. The study revealed that both demographics link “ee” sounds, as in the word “gleam,” with positive feelings, while “uh” sounds, like in “glum,” tend to be tied to negative emotions.
The study found that the associations between sounds and emotions were more pronounced among the college students compared to the children. This suggests that as individuals grow, their emotional connections to phonetic sounds may strengthen.
ASU professor and study author Viridiana Benitez commented on the implications of these findings: “The sounds of words and their actual meaning might tell us that these are the kind of early communicative sounds that might have been used that eventually evolved into the more sophisticated language that we have today.” This insight opens up new avenues for understanding the origins and development of language.
Looking ahead, Benitez expressed interest in further researching this effect in even younger children to deepen our understanding of the role sounds play in emotional development.
