Why Do Girls Scream? Exploring the Science Behind Female Vocalizations

[Pengwuino]

Very true, but we are discussing girls in Pengwuino's age group, which is like 13-15 right?

ROAR! YOU HAVE INSULTED THE PENGUIN, PREPARE TO FEEL PENGUIN WRATH

 

[matthyaouw]

Two quick questions. What age groups are you guys talking about? How many females do you know that behave that way in real life?

P.S. TV does not count as real life.

I was wondering something along the same lines...
In my experience, the only times you see girls screaming en masse are in films/tv, and at concerts where people are screaming regardless of gender.

 

[Moonbear]

I remember studying about this in anthropology- about the phenomenon of girls screaming at concerts, anyway. Supposedly, they are not screaming to draw the attention of the guys on stage, but are subconsciously signalling to the group as a whole that they are sexually mature females.

Oh, is that why I can't get a date? I don't scream? Actually, I always thought it was just a "California girl" type thing. I've never met anyone who grew up anywhere other than California who screamed like that. I thought perhaps it was a symptom of sun stroke. When someone starts that screaming (screeching), I just want to smack them and tell them to shut up.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Vocal reaction meant to alert others to what they have noticed. Men do it too just differently... unless they are gay then they seem to tend to do it just the same as women.

 

[Danger]

Vocal reaction meant to alert others to what they have noticed.

Moonbear, you should have known that. Wasn't it you who had the thread going about gopher whistles?

 

[Mk]

Vocal reaction meant to alert others to what they have noticed. Men do it too just differently

Yeah, they retain cognitive function and say "Hey! Look over there!"

 

[Evo]

Moonbear, you should have known that. Wasn't it you who had the thread going about gopher whistles?

Wasn't it Ivan's thread on the silent screams of prairie dogs?

 

[franznietzsche]

Yeah, they retain cognitive function and say "Hey! Look over there!"

 

[The_Professional]

So why do they? It seems like girls will scream over the smallest disturbance and will even scream when they are overjoyed for some reason. What is with these people. Is it genetic? WHY!

Because it's cathartic for them.

 

[franznietzsche]

Because it's cathartic for them.

Hasn't the theory of therapy by catharsis been discarded? I could've sworn that several studies showed that releasing tension via catharsis results in positive feedback for the behavoir (for example, agression) which increases, rather than decreases its frequency.

 

[Smasherman]

I can't say that I see girls scream very much. If they do, I imagine it's sociological.

Pattylou, do you really believe males consider females inferior? I know you didn't say that directly, but you hint very strongly in that direction...

Besides, guys ignore each other, also. Just because guys don't act like girls is no reason to suspect belittlement.

 

[franznietzsche]

Besides, guys ignore each other, also. Just because guys don't act like girls is no reason to suspect belittlement.

Careful, you might pull the legs out from under the feminists on that one.

Sorry, I'm feeling belligerent today. Just ignore me PF sisterhood. You know I properly worship you with attendant chocolate rights and all. Please don't hurt me.

 

[Smasherman]

Careful, you might pull the legs out from under the feminists on that one.
Sorry, I'm feeling belligerent today. Just ignore me PF sisterhood. You know I properly worship you with attendant chocolate rights and all. Please don't hurt me.

And I'm feeling confrontational .

 

[franznietzsche]

And I'm feeling confrontational .

I'm just cranky on account of a certain tiny people named Tiny. Long story.

 

[Smasherman]

I'm just cranky on account of a certain tiny people named Tiny. Long story.

sounds like a great story, but alas, I don't have time.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Vocal reaction meant to alert others to what they have noticed. Men do it too just differently.

Yeah, they retain cognitive function and say "Hey! Look over there!"

Some times men scream. Somtimes they grunt. I think most often we spit out expletives.

 

[honestrosewater]

Yeah, they retain cognitive function and say "Hey! Look over there!"

Thanks, I was having a bad night and needed that.

Anywho, I thought you might have been thinking of those women they put in action or horror movies who just stand around screaming as the men fight or who shriek at every noise or of Friends-like shows, etc. I don't think that would go over very well in real life. But screaming to get attention or express excitement does work in some cases and can be even more effective than using words.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Ive seen too many of them signal their readiness to the mice

No, that is done through ear-wiggling. Male mice find that irresistable, I hear. ooh la la

Oh, is that why I can't get a date? I don't scream? Actually, I always thought it was just a "California girl" type thing. I've never met anyone who grew up anywhere other than California who screamed like that. I thought perhaps it was a symptom of sun stroke. When someone starts that screaming (screeching), I just want to smack them and tell them to shut up.

IIRC, from the cultural anthropology standpoint, the concert-screaming phenomenon is not a direct signal from girls to boys, but from girls to other girls. It's a hand-raising reaction to communicate "I am a part of this group because I understand why you are screaming (because you are overcome with sexual arousal), and look! - I am screaming, too (I also feel it)". It's not unlike people laughing out loud at movies, I suppose, not because they are overwhelmed by the humor, but because they want everybody else in the audience to know that they get the joke.

I was thinking something along those lines. It has been said that the oft aggressive, loud, overtly sexual behaviour of groups of alpha-male types (you know the kinds: they start shouting "Oi, darlin, darlin! 'Ow abaht it? You and me! You and me!". If they are cockneys) is to compensate for the homosexual overtones of close male bonding. We shout to demonstrate that we are sexually immature males, despite the fact I just grabbed that guy's crotch.

And that would also fit in with the anthropology hypothesis - since a man is communicating, or reinforcing, his sexual status to the larger group.


Anyway, I have not screamed or even shrieked in a very long time. Suspect drop in estrogen.

 

[-Job-]

It must be a socially induced behavior because girls don't seem to scream so much without any other girls around. It's that and giggleing, I've seen some pretty elaborate giggleing performances between women, it goes back and forth a couple of rounds.

 

[Mk]

Well, people don't laugh as much without other people around. Everybody is more susceptible to laughter when in groups. Maybe groups tend to cause more extreme happy feelings?

 

[Math Is Hard]

Well, people don't laugh as much without other people around. Everybody is more susceptible to laughter when in groups. Maybe groups tend to cause more extreme happy feelings?

Could be. I think we also have to look at why and when we laugh. Reading jokes at home, I might chuckle a little bit. I am only sharing the joke with myself so no need to get demonstrative. The laugh is short-lived. But in a group, laughter becomes infectuous because it's part of a group activity. We laugh harder and longer because we are sharing in an experience. It's a form of communication. The extreme happy feelings are likely to be magnified in a group setting simply because we are social creatures, and the sharing of something with each other brings us happiness in a way that we cannot realize on our own.

 

[Evo]

I just spit.

 

[franznietzsche]

I just spit.

And you aren't attracted to psychos?

 

[BobG]

Wasn't it Ivan's thread on the silent screams of prairie dogs?

The silent screams of prairie dogs!? I've driven past a prairie dog village every day for past three months and I've never heard one of these silent screams.

 

[Evo]

The silent screams of prairie dogs!? I've driven past a prairie dog village every day for past three months and I've never heard one of these silent screams.

That would be because, uhm, they're silent.

 

[El Hombre Invisible]

Women scream because they are automatons. Nearby magnetic fields induce EMF in their processors and cause malfunction. I have seen Austin Powers. I know these things.

Maybe its just really scary being a woman. They scream at arachnids. Dust mites are arachnids. Dust mites are everywhere. Thus they scream at dust mites.

 

[Pengwuino]

So have we all come to the conclusion that girls are of another species?

 

[arildno]

So have we all come to the conclusion that girls are of another species?

There's a simple test:
Try and breed with them; if there is any off-spring, then they belong to your own species.

Not that I'm advocating such practices in general, though..

 

[___]

There's a simple test:
Try and breed with them; if there is any off-spring, then they belong to your own species.
Not that I'm advocating such practices in general, though..

so does that mean that if i do a tigress i won't have any offspring, is it?
no, i m not trying to be argumentive

 

[Lisa!]

I never scream. Does it mean I'm not a girl?

 

[mattmns]

I never scream. Does it mean I'm not a girl?

You've just never experienced a guy like me

 

[Lisa!]

You've just never experienced a guy like me

AND I have no wish to experience a guy like you!

 

[BobG]

You've just never experienced a guy like me

Aaah, now I can hear the silent screams of the prairie dogs.

 

[arildno]

so does that mean that if i do a tigress i won't have any offspring, is it?

I would have thought you knew the difference between front and behind.

Evidently, I'm not the only disoriented guy around here.

 

[Moonbear]

IIRC, from the cultural anthropology standpoint, the concert-screaming phenomenon is not a direct signal from girls to boys, but from girls to other girls. It's a hand-raising reaction to communicate "I am a part of this group because I understand why you are screaming (because you are overcome with sexual arousal), and look! - I am screaming, too (I also feel it)".

I don't know, I've always thought it was stupid and annoying when girls scream. I would see footage of Elvis or Beatles concerts and you'd see all the girls in the crowd screaming and fainting and nonsense like that...it always seemed stupid to me, even when I was a teenage girl. I don't even scream when something scares me (if something really scares me, I inhale but can't exhale for a few moments, so screaming isn't even physically possible for me).

Likewise, I don't really know how people manage to cuss when they stub their toe or do something else painful to themselves. I just hop around completely unable to utter a single sound until the initial shock and pain subsides a bit. So, to me, if you can scream, you're not hurt that badly...it tells me I should be annoyed with the theatrics rather than come to your aid. I definitely respond that way in the barns or lab when I hear a loud crash...if it's followed by copious swearing, I know everyone is okay, but if it's followed by silence, I immediately check what happened because it could be serious.

I guess I associate screaming with immaturity rather than maturity. Little children shriek and scream when playing, so teens shrieking and screaming tells me they still have the maturity of a two-year-old rather than having learned to be an adult.