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What can speech tell us about pain?
Adrian Gonzales1, Kylie Yao2, Adam Vogel2,3
1Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Pain Reports
|June 9, 2025
Summary
Speech analysis can identify pain markers and correlate with pain sensitivity. Speaking, especially complex speech like monologues, may also help manage pain intensity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Speech Science
- Pain Research
Background:
- Pain perception is subjective, but speech is a universal communication method.
- Speech analysis may offer clinical insights into pain states.
- The pain-relieving effects of complex speech are currently unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how acute pain affects speech characteristics.
- To determine if speaking influences pain intensity.
- To explore the link between pain-free speech patterns and general pain sensitivity.
Main Methods:
- Speech metrics were collected from 25 healthy adults during speech tasks of varying cognitive complexity.
- Participants underwent acute noxious heat stimuli exposure.
- Pain intensity ratings were recorded throughout the study.
Main Results:
- Speech characteristics were sensitive to pain: syllabic rate and speech-to-pause ratio increased, while mean sound pressure level decreased under acute pain.
- Exploratory analyses revealed significant correlations between pain-free speech features and pain sensitivity.
- Monologue production was more effective at reducing pain than vowel sounds.
Conclusions:
- Speech can serve as a reliable indicator of acute pain.
- Speech characteristics correlate with individual pain sensitivity, suggesting potential for pain assessment.
- Speech analysis may offer novel avenues for pain management strategies.
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