Tell me more ×
Skeptics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for scientific skepticism. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

A few of my friends and I saw a clip ofreally young girl singing in a rock/metal band- screaming her lungs off! One friend claims that she will strengthen her vocal chords for future singing- the other says that she will use them up and sound like a lung-cancer patient at the age of 30.

Does anyone know anything about vocal chords' durability?

share|improve this question
There is no notable claim to answer here - have a quick read of the faq to see what types of questions are on topic. For example a notable newspaper claiming that this is true, not just two of your friends with opposing opinions :-) – Rory Alsop Sep 10 '12 at 11:30
1  
Oh, and surely Robert Plant or Roger Daltry could be good proof that this is not so... – Rory Alsop Sep 10 '12 at 11:31
Oh, I see, so this site is meant for challenging pseudo-scientific journalism, but not common sense claims :) I mean, I know I get a sore throat after visiting a concert, but it passes in a few days. I asked the question because it SEEMS intuitive to think that there COULD be some sort of permanent damage to the vocal chords if you make your throat sore over and over again. But, thanks for the etiquette tip :) – Goran_Mandic Sep 10 '12 at 12:12
@Goran_Mandic, Welcome! You only need to provide examples that show us that a bunch of people actually believe that to be true... we are only interested in spending time answering questions that have a value for a lot of people. If it's so "common sense", then surely there are plenty of examples of people claiming it. – Sklivvz♦ Sep 10 '12 at 12:27
To be more clear, there is a vague claim here (that abusing your vocal chords damages them). I don't think that it's controversial or what you are asking. There's also a very specific claim (that doing growl singing for a woman for 10 or so years will bring damage equivalent to terminal cancer), which is too specific to be notable. – Sklivvz♦ Sep 10 '12 at 12:34
show 1 more comment

closed as off topic by Sklivvz♦ Sep 10 '12 at 12:27

Questions on Skeptics Stack Exchange are expected to relate to scientific skepticism within the scope defined in the FAQ. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about closed questions here.

1 Answer

up vote 4 down vote accepted

Yes, yelling can stress out and permanently damage your vocal cords. The Chicago University school of Medicine cites yelling as a potential cause for vocal cord disorders. Duke Health also cites yelling as a potential cause for permanent vocal chord damage.

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.