What Would Happen If You Just Stopped Talking — Forever?
This is What Would Happen If, a close examination of mundane hypothetical situations. Each week, we look at something that you could do but probably never would, and take it to its logical endpoint. This week: What would happen if you just stopped talking?
We've all been there. We've said something we immediately regret. You can't un-say something, so logically, the only solution is to just never speak again. Just you, your thoughts and subtle facial expressions until the end of time.
Clearly, this is harder said than done1. Eventually you overcome your shame and inevitably, through a completely natural desire to verbalize your thoughts and feelings with other humans, speak again. The cycle begins anew.
But what would happen if you actually followed through on your vow of silence? What sorts of effects would never uttering a single word have on your body? Is it true that if you don't use your voice, you lose it?
To answer this, we spoke with What Would Happen If regular Dr. Anil K. Lalwani, an Otolaryngologist at Columbia University.
Although it might not feel like it, your vocal cords are muscles. Like any muscle with more use they grow stronger, and with less they grow weaker. "So, if you stopped speaking, the laryngeal muscle would atrophy," Lalwani writes in an email. "The vocal cords would not be as taut."
"Ah, slack vocal chords, that doesn't sound so bad," you might say. And yes, it does sound very non-threatening. But you'd also be wrong. This condition, known as presbylaryngis, can reduce the volume of your voice, raise its pitch, make it sound hollow and just generally make it harder to speak. So yes, in a way, if you don't use it you will lose it.
Of course, vocal chords don't exist in vacuum. They reside in the throat, a crucial nexus of the body that also facilitates critical life functions such as breathing and eating. So depending on how much you're breathing and eating — presumably enough to stay alive — your vocal chords wouldn't completely atrophy.
What's more, choosing to forever hold your peace won't likely do any irreparable damage. "Because they would still be innervated by a nerve, they should be able to recover down the road, because the muscle would not be completely atrophied," says Lalwani. "Complete atrophy without recovery could occur if the nerve supply is transected or lost."
So there you go. Go ahead, never speak again. We can't wait to hear what happens.
Further Reading
Maybe The Most Sane Guide On How To Take A Vow Of Silence
A New Yorker Profile Of John Cage And 4'33"
Next Week
What would happen if you never got out of the bath?
Got a burning (hopefully not in an infected way) hypothetical question? Submit it to [email protected]. And for more, check out our What Would Happen If archive.
