Yawning and getting 'strangled' helped me discover my voice

I've used my voice for a lot of different things over the years. From yelling at (educating!) schoolchildren as a host at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, to screaming at the top of my lungs during daring science demonstrations, to singing in my own bands (we had to sing louder than our fans, aka moms), I've put my voice through a lot. In a way, I'm kind of a voice professional.

Over the years, I've noticed my voice hasn't sounded the same. I couldn't reach or hold the high notes I used to, or yell as loud as I'd like. At first, I chalked it up to a cold or allergies. Or maybe just an off day? But after countless "off days" in a row, I started to wonder:Was there something wrong? Like, actually wrong?

One of the other hosts I worked with at the science centre, a professionally-trained opera singer, warned me all the time: "Anthony, you've got to protect your voice!" I'd always dismissed her, partly because I was having too much fun, but also because in some ways, it felt like she was asking me not to be me. I hadn't yet learned how to host without being big and loud. I figured it out eventually, but I was worried it was too little, too late.

Had all that yelling and singing damaged my voice? I wondered if there was a way to restore or even improve it after taking it for granted for so many years. But where to start? When you consider how important and complex the human voice is, it's a wonder there isn't an instruction manual for it.

Well, that's just what we've done with A User's Guide to the Voice, a documentary from The Nature of Things. We looked at the latest science to find out how we can all take care of the most sophisticated communication tool that's sitting right under our noses!

Looking at my larynx

Before starting this journey, I had never really thought about how my voice worked. Luckily, I had the chance to meet some incredible people who helped me understand and appreciate my own voice.

Dr. Simon McBride at the Vocal Function Lab at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, Ont., specializes in diagnosing voice problems, and I wanted to ask him about my reduced pitch range.

The first thing McBride did was stick a big camera down my throat to get a close-up look at my larynx, the "voice box" that houses my vocal cords. I have to say, seeing your vocal cords in action makes you feel like you have a small, weird alien living inside your windpipe.

"Like a weird alien inside my windpipe"

9 months ago

Duration 1:08

Nature of Things co-host Anthony Morgan gets a look at his own larynx - his voice box - to see why his voice might not be what it used to be. Watch A User's Guide to the Voice on CBC Gem.

According to McBride, there wasn't much to see: some mucus and a bit of redness, probably thanks to some bad habits. Drinking more fluids (not the caffeinated or alcoholic types) and a few new exercises should get me pitch-perfect again, or as close as I could get at least.

That's where vocal therapist Lori Holmes helped me out, giving me tips on how to loosen up my vocal cords and not constrict them so much. Practising in McBride's car, which was once owned by legendary rocker Rod Stewart, took on a real Carpool Karaoke energy when we began belting out 'Some Guys Have All The Luck.' I'm no Rod Stewart superfan, but when in Rome.

Massage for the vocal cords

I'm always up for a relaxing massage, but my next treatment was a little more uncomfortable than I expected.

I met speech-language pathologist Aaron Low at Toronto's Voice Clinic before a day of yelling. I was about to spend the day screaming at the top of my lungs on Toronto Metropolitan University's campus while setting students on fire (with consent!) and blowing stuff up (all safe science demonstrations, I promise!)

We wanted to measure how putting on my big-crowd voice would affect me. So that morning, I visited Low to record some voice baselines. Then it was off to the fun explosions and yelling.

When I returned to Low, he rerecorded my vocal abilities and they didn't sound great. The day had really taken a toll.

Luckily, Low has a magic touch that big stars like Noel Gallagher and Roger Daltrey swear by: he "strangles" them. Seriously.

What at first felt a little uncomfortable turned out to really improve my battered vocal chops. Much like a physiotherapist or chiropractor does with muscles or bones, Low repositioned my vocal mechanisms, including my hyoid bone (which sits above the larynx, under the chin) and larynx.

I was a little skeptical that strangling me would help, but I was impressed by the results. All the yelling and screaming had left me pretty hoarse, but after being treated by Low, my voice sounded good as new!

Pitch is everything

After learning how to regain my pitch, we went to see Queen's University assistant professor Jillian O'Connor in Kingston, Ont., to discover just how important pitch is.

For years, O'Connor has been researching how humans infer meaning and emotion from how a single word is spoken, and how we have an evolved response to deeper vocal pitches. A person with a deeper pitch can subconsciously imply dominance, compelling us to put more trust in bosses, leaders, salespeople and politicians based on the sound of their voices. It even works when finding a romantic partner.

O'Connor also told us about virtual assistants, and how most smart speakers and satellite navigation systems like GPS employ higher-pitched female voices, in part because a male voice might come across as "threatening" to another male. Many designers make them with a "less challenging" female voice rather than risk having consumers reject a product.

This idea became really interesting when we met Dianne Skoll, a trans woman from Ottawa who has been searching for her voice after transitioning.

Voice is so intrinsically linked to identity, and Skoll's attempt at finding a new, higher-pitched voice felt inauthentic to her. Instead, she sought the help of professional singer and vocal teacher Fides Krucker, who helped Skoll unlock her true voice and find more comfort in how she sounds.

Don't stifle that yawn!

One thing that surprised me during my vocal education is the importance of yawning.

It might sound lazy or rude, but the act of yawning and stretching can greatly improve your vocal health.

My first experiment with this was singing that Rod Stewart classic while driving in his old classic car. Vocal therapist Holmes listened to my raspy pitch and suggested I try singing while yawning. By the end of the ride, I could feel my vocal cords loosening up and hear my pitch improving.

You might be yawning now, but lean into it. Your voice will thank you.

Anthony Morgan is the co-host of The Nature of Things.