1. Why love's whisper low?
Answers
Answer:
My guess is that, since a soft, gentle voice is soothing and calming, (science has proven this is true even with human-animal interactions!) we, even if it’s unconsciously, want to soothe and calm those we love. We want them to feel safe and secure, and if they feel that way in our company, they’re more likely to want to spend time with us. Since we love them, we desire their company, also.
I’m not really a “shouter” when I get angry at people, so I asked my husband, who had to shout at people that made him angry for a living (he’s a retired cop). He explained to me that angry shouting is usually intended to either intimidate, to express that you feel you were wronged, or to convince someone of a lie. I’ll have to ponder that for a bit.
I’m guessing (once again), and please correct me if I’m wrong, you’re mostly talking about angry shouting with someone you have a relationship with, be it familial, romantic, or a platonic friendship. I think when you’re shouting in anger in those cases, you feel you’ve been wronged, or a wrong choice by someone else affected you negatively. Like “WHY did you leave those rolls in the oven so long! Now they’re inedible!!” Someone else’s wrong choice affected YOU- no rolls with dinner, and you’re angry. Or “Why did you tell me you were going to a meeting, but you REALLY went to a bar/out with friends/to a hotel?! YOU LIED TO ME!!” You’ve been wronged, you KNOW it, and you want to express your anger about it to that other person. I think, in that situation, even I might shout in anger to intimidate the person into not repeating the behavior.
The first thing I thought of when I read your question (it’s silly, I know) is I display exactly the behavior you asked about with my cats! When I want them to feel safe and loved, and to crawl in my lap and purr, I pet them softly and speak to them in a soft voice. When I want to intimidate them into not repeating a bad behavior, I do shout at them- “NO! BAD KITTY!”, followed by a tiny squirt with the water bottle. Reinforcing good behavior, punishing bad behavior, all with just the tone of voice!
Explanation: