A recent study found that your voice does more than just act as a communication tool – it attracts romantic partners and ‘boosts’ your social status.
There are different traits that men and women find attractive in their partners. A love expert revealed that good looks aren’t what women desire the most in men. Similarly, the voice pitch also determines an individual’s attractiveness.
Study reveals the most desired voice pitch among men and women
The results of the cross-cultural study published in the journal Psychological Science, which aimed to understand human evaluation and how people evaluate social status, established that individuals with low voice pitch have more chances of finding a long-term relationship.
In another interesting observation, it was revealed that men with low-pitched voices are viewed as more formidable, especially among younger age groups, and more prestigious, particularly among older ones.
The researchers selected two male and female voice recordings and edited them to produce average-pitched, higher, and lower-pitched voices. There were a total of 12 clips, played to over 3,100 respondents across 22 countries spanning five continents.
They were asked questions about traits such as attractive, flirtatious, formidable, and prestigious after playing the clips.
“The researchers found that women and men preferred lower-pitched voices when asked which voice they would prefer for a long-term relationship such as marriage,” the study notes.
Perceived status of males with low voice pitch
Meanwhile, men with low-pitched voices were associated with high social status – a trait with its roots in “our male ancestors’ reproductive success.”
Human males perceived threats from those who were bigger and “seemed” bigger. Low voice pitch or deep voice is believed to elevate the physical appearance, thus making a man come across as more formidable.
“A low voice pitch exaggerates size. It makes an organism, whether it’s a person or non-human primate, seem big and intimidating.” the study states.
Conversely, females with higher-pitched voices were considered “more attractive for short-term relationships” and women perceived men with high voice pitch as “flirtatious”.
