From Jimmy Stewart to Harry Styles, why certain voices lull us to sleep
When 25-year-old Pearl Kasirye heads to bed after a stressful day at work, she opens up the Calm sleep and meditation app and turns on a Sleep Story to help her nod off. Her favorite bedtime listening: neuroscientist Matthew Walker’s “Why Do We Sleep?” and “Crossing Ireland By Train” with Cillian Murphy (yes, that Cillian Murphy).
“I love these particular stories because of the way the narrators tell them,” the New York-based PR consultant tells Yahoo Life. “I love Cillian Murphy because he has a really soothing, calming voice.”
The app features other celebrities’ voices, too, including Harry Styles and Matthew McConaughey, whose respective Sleep Stories are among Calm's most popular offerings, a rep tells Yahoo Life. But why settle for pop singers and Oscar winners when classic — and long-dead — Hollywood icons are now available to lull you to sleep? With the consent of the famed actor's family and estate, Calm can let its users fall asleep to the AI-generated voice of Jimmy Stewart, who died in 1997. In a nod to the Christmas classic for which he's arguably best known, Stewart narrates “It’s a Wonderful Sleep Story,” now available on the app.
“Stewart is one of the most beloved actors in history, with an iconic voice that has special resonance during the holiday season,” Greg Justice, the chief content officer at Calm, explains to Yahoo Life. “It was a top priority to collaborate closely with Stewart’s family and estate on this project, ensuring we honored his legacy in creating this first-of-its-kind Sleep Story that’s already helping a lot of listeners get a wonderful night’s rest.”
The lengths taken to obtain Stewart's tender, oft-imitated voice raise an important question: Why is that voice so desirable, especially when it comes to bedtime? Are certain celebrity Sleep Stories popular because the star is well-loved or is it because their voice ticks certain boxes and truly does help us sleep? And if the latter, how? Here's what to know.
What voice qualities are most appealing?
According to Calm, a Sleep Story's success hinges on its writing, voice, delivery and score. Voices that have depth and resonance make for good narration, representatives for the app tell Yahoo Life. As far as delivery, it needs to be slow, melodic and soothing, like a lullaby.
Rhyming is another factor. The Calm team says “It’s a Wonderful Sleep Story” was intentionally written in rhyming verse to help the story come to life in a poetic way.
What happens in the brain when we hear those types of voices?
While people have plenty of anecdotal reasons for loving certain voices, there’s neuroscience behind this phenomenon, too.
“The voices activate sensory and auditory processing areas, trigger emotional responses and help us focus our attention,” Shelby Harris, the director of sleep health at Sleepopolis and a licensed clinical psychologist, tells Yahoo Life. “This can lead to the release of calming hormones, reduced activity in stress centers and improved sleep quality.” Further, given that calming sounds are, by definition, nonthreatening, they help reduce the body’s fight-or-flight response.
When it comes to Stewart’s voice in particular, Harris points to its warm and soothing timbre, slow and measured pace, gentle intonation and familiarity. “These qualities work together to create a relaxing and sleep-inducing effect,” she says.
Hormones are a part of it, but so are calming memories and associations. “When we hear voices that are familiar to us, our brains initially make connections with previously hearing those voices and what attributes are associated with those voices,” explains Mary Ann Covey, a licensed psychologist with Thriveworks in College Station, Texas, specializing in sleep, stress and coping skills. “Jimmy Stewart is always linked to the holidays, being the star of the classic It’s a Wonderful Life, and connecting him to reading a story for the holidays has the potential to simply create a soothing experience that can create a warm feeling of calm.”
Covey adds that Sleep Stories aren’t the only situation in which voices bring feelings of relaxation, pointing to yoga instructors and their classes, too. That may be why a “Yoga With Adriene” video is the best way to ease into your day — and why you love going to bed with Harry Styles (in a strictly auditory sense, of course).
The takeaway
If you're struggling to sleep, you might try popping on a Sleep Story or audiobook narrated by someone whose voice you consider soothing — be it a Hollywood legend, your favorite pop star or Oppenheimer himself.
