- People who speak in a lower tone are more attractive for long-term relationships
- Men with low voices are also seen as more formidable among other men
From Miley Cyrus to Morgan Freeman, many of the world’s most famous celebrities are known for their deep voices.
A study now shows that people who speak in a lower tone of voice are more attractive for long-term relationships.
Additionally, men with low voices are seen as more formidable and prestigious among other men, according to the Penn State University team.
“A low voice pitch exaggerates the size,” says Professor David Puts, co-author of the study.
“It makes an organism, whether a person or a non-human primate, appear large and intimidating.”
From Miley Cyrus to Morgan Freeman, many of the world’s most famous celebrities are known for their deep voices. Now a study suggests that their soft tones may also make these stars more attractive for long-term relationships
It is known that vocal communication is one of the most important human qualities.
And while our accents and tones all vary enormously, according to Professor Puts, the most noticeable aspect of our voice is pitch.
“Understanding how voice pitch affects social perception can help us understand social relationships more broadly, how we achieve social status, how we judge others by social status, and how we choose mates,” he explained.
In their study, the researchers selected two male and two female voice recordings, all of which repeated the same sentence.
The pitch in each clip was then edited until a total of 12 clips were created.
These clips were played to more than 3,100 participants in 22 countries, who were asked to answer questions about which voice sounded the most attractive, flirtatious, formidable and prestigious.
The results showed that male and female participants from different cultures all preferred lower voices for a long-term relationship.
Meanwhile, the lower male voices were judged to be more formidable and prestigious.
In contrast, the researchers found that women with high-pitched voices were rated as more attractive for short-term relationships (stock image)
“The findings suggest that deep voices emerged in men because our male ancestors often interacted with competitors who were strangers,” says Professor Puts.
‘Male traits such as deep voices and beards are socially highly salient, but this new research shows that the salience of at least one of these traits varies in predictable ways across society, and it suggests that others, such as beards, do so too.’
In contrast, the researchers found that women with high-pitched voices were rated as more attractive for short-term relationships.
Overall, the researchers say the findings suggest that voice pitch is relevant to social perceptions in societies.
‘It also shows that the extent of our attention to voice pitch when making social attributions is variable across different societies and responds to relevant socio-cultural variables,’ added Professor Puts.
‘In a society where relational mobility is greater and you have less direct information about your competitors, people seem to pay more attention to an easily identifiable, recognizable signal such as voice pitch.’