Revealed: what your voice says about you, according to science

From deep to squeaky and loud to soft, the variation in our voices is an astonishing aspect of human existence.

But according to decades of psychological research, the way we talk can provide some important insights into our personalities.

A low voice, like Morgan Freeman’s, is a sign of extroversion and even sexual attraction, while a high volume can be a reflection of power.

Meanwhile, according to psychologists, a mumble can be macho and even an indication of cleverness rather than stupidity.

Here’s a closer look at what the sound of your voice reveals about you, according to science.

PITCH

The pitch of a voice refers to its high or low pitch as perceived by the ear, which depends on the number of vibrations per second produced by the vocal cords.

High voices, such as actress Cameron Diaz, singer Christina Aguilera or comedian Steve Carell, are shriller or lighter.

Low voices – such as those of actor Morgan Freeman or singer Tina Tuner – are generally described as rich or deep and an attractive trait in the opposite sex.

A recent study found that people who speak in a lower tone of voice are more attractive for long-term relationships.

According to the authors of the Penn State University study, this is because it “exaggerates size” and makes someone “seem large and intimidating.”

According to another 2021 study, people who speak in a lower tone of voice are more likely to be willing to engage in casual sex.

In experiments, people with lower voices were more ‘unconstrained’ when it came to their ‘sociosexual’ behavior – including orientation, attitudes and desires.

The research also found that people with deep voices are more outgoing and have greater ‘dominance’, meaning they have a high degree of influence in social situations.

Science may explain why you love the deep tone of Morgan Freeman’s voice. Deep voices are generally perceived as stronger and more physically attractive

According to a 2020 study, men with a deep voice are more likely to attract a partner, but are also more likely to cheat due to high testosterone levels.

According to the Chinese authors, women are often attracted to men with low, rich voices because they are associated with high testosterone levels.

A low pitch can also be useful if you want to influence certain people favorably for your own benefit.

a Study from 2012 Research has shown that people prefer to vote for politicians with a lower voice pitch, probably because they sounded more dominant, honest, intelligent and attractive.

And a Study from 2013 It has been found that CEOs with a lower voice pitch oversee larger companies, receive higher compensation, and enjoy longer tenure than CEOs with a higher voice pitch.

Interestingly enough, a 2017 study found that people have a high-pitched voice when talking to people they feel inferior to, such as their boss.

High voices, such as actress Cameron Diaz, singer Christina Aguilera (photo) or comedian Steve Carell, are shriller or lighter

PACE

Fast talkers, like Hollywood film director Quentin Tarantino and Irish ex-footballer Shay Give, often give the impression that they have a lot on their minds that they want to share.

It is often assumed that the speed or pace at which we talk reveals how smart we are, as if people with more powerful brains can process words faster.

But the speed at which we talk has nothing to do with intelligence, said Michelle Devereaux, professor of English education at Kennesaw State University.

“Slow talkers are often assumed to be less intelligent or competent than fast talkers, while very fast talkers may be considered less honest or good-natured,” she said.

‘There is no inherent connection between speaking rate and level of intelligence, truthfulness or friendliness.’

However, researchers have linked vocal rate to other traits.

a Paper from 1984 reported that the speech rate of extroverts is faster than that of introverts.

Irish goalkeeper turned pundit Shay Give often leaves Match of the Day viewers struggling to keep up with his mile-a-minute speech

More recently, psychologists at Stanford University suggested that speaking slowly can convey strength and confidence, and is a way to “claim social space.”

ARTICULATION

Whether or not we mumble like a teenager, skip syllables left, right and center, or pronounce our words perfectly also has to do with our personality traits.

A 2021 study found that men who mumble, like actor Tom Hardy, are seen as more attractive by women because it is linked to being macho.

Men, on the other hand, find clear enunciation – such as Elizabeth Hurley’s refined tones – attractive to the opposite sex because it expresses femininity.

Women tend to produce speech that is “acoustically and phonetically clearer” than men’s, the study authors claimed.

Keith Johnson, a phonetician at Ohio State University, found that skipping syllables is a common tool in conversation but leads to confusion.

He quoted Irish playwright St. John Greer Ervine, who argued that mumbling or skipping syllables was often done by the “lazy” English.

Due to his tendency to mumble, The Hollywood Reporter published an article about the British actor in 2018 entitled ‘Why Tom Hardy Can Be So Hard to Understand’.

Pictured is Elizabeth Hurley in ‘Bad Boy’ (2002). Hurley is known for speaking the Queen’s English during her film career

Many are “weaklings too languid and disempowered to speak their noble language with any force,” Ervine said in 1948.

In a 2015 essay in Nautilus MagazineLinguistic author Julie Sedivy has argued that slurring vowels and omitting consonants are not “symptoms of sloppy speech,” but can be a smart tactic.

She made comparisons between the human ability to eliminate or reduce sounds during speech and a computer’s ability to compress data.

VOLUME

Volume can also reveal a lot about personality, whether you have a powerful thump like actor Brian Blessed or a soft mumble like Elon Musk.

A 2014 study linked having a louder voice to maintaining power in a social situation, such as being able to make decisions on behalf of a group.

Elon Musk is one of the richest people in the world and is in charge of several powerful companies, but his voice is usually a soft and delicate mumble

If you have a big, deep, booming voice like British actor Brian Blessed (pictured), it can be a reflection of power

This suggests that consciously increasing the volume of your voice can give you more control – and get people to listen to you.

According to a 1934 article by American psychologists Hadley Cantril and Gordon Allport, more extroverted people have “louder, boisterous, and carefree voices.”

Meanwhile, people with soft voices are generally seen as more introverted, as lower volume does not also attract the attention of others.

However, the connection is not clear, as introverts can be loud and extroverts can be quiet.