Teens are less likely to respond to mothers by controlling the tone of their voice

The researchers found that teens are less likely to cooperate and make efforts to respond to their mother's demands when they are cast in a tone of control.

Talking to a son or daughter in a pressure tone also accompanies a range of negative emotions and lesser sensations of proximity, a new study found.

The experimental study involving more than 1,000 adolescents aged 14 to 15 years old is the first to examine how subjects respond to tone of voice when they receive instructions from their mothers, even when the specific words used are exactly the same.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Netta Weinstein, of Cardiff University, said: "If parents want conversations with their teens to benefit at best, it is important to not forget to take encouraging voice tones – they feel stressed, tired or pressured. "

The study showed that subjects were much more likely to follow instructions that conveyed a sense of encouragement and support for self-expression and choice.

The findings, while of obvious interest to parents, may also be of interest to teachers whose use of a more motivating language could affect the learning and well-being of students in the classroom. their classrooms.

"Teens probably feel more concerned and happier, which forces them to redouble their efforts at school when parents and teachers express themselves in a positive way rather than under pressure," he said. continued Dr. Weinstein.

The new study, published today in the journal Developmental psychologyinvolved 486 men and 514 women aged 14 to 15 years.

In the experiment, each of the subjects was randomly assigned to groups that would hear identical messages delivered by teenage mothers, in a tone of control, neutral, or supportive of the ## 147 ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # 39; autonomy.

Expressions of control exert pressure and attempt to compel or push listeners to action. On the other hand, those who express "support for autonomy" express a sense of encouragement and support for the sense of choice and the possibility for listeners to express themselves.

Each of the mothers pronounced 30 phrases focused on school work and including instructions such as: "It's time to go to school", "You'll read this book tonight" and "You'll do this task ".

After the distribution of the messages, each student conducted an inquiry and answered questions about how they would feel if their own mother had spoken to them that way.

The results showed that the tone of voice used by mothers can have a significant impact on adolescents' emotional, relational, and behavioral intentions.

In most cases, adolescents who listened to mothers making motivational statements in a controlled tone of voice reacted in an undesirable way. On the other hand, the tones favorable to autonomy aroused positive reactions from the listeners in relation to listening to mothers who used a neutral tone of voice to pronounce their motivational sentences.

Professor Silke Paulmann, of the University of Essex, co-author of the study, added: "These results illustrate the power of our voice and the importance of choosing the right one. your tone for communicating is crucial in all our conversations. "

It is now the intention of the researchers to go further by investigating to what extent the tone of the voice may affect physiological responses, such as heart rate or skin conductance, and the duration of these changes. effects.