If you’re a male, having a deeper voice doesn’t necessarily make you more attractive to women, but it is associated with greater dominance. Two new experiments revealed the differences in the perceived attractiveness of deeper male voice between the animal kingdom and humans. In the animal world, a deeper voice was found to lure females in, but this effect was much smaller among humans. On the other hand, in humans, a deeper voice is perceived as more dominant against other males.
Study leader David Puts said, “We find that masculine traits in humans are not the same as, say, in peacocks, where the beautiful tail attracts a mate. For example, beards make men more dominant-looking, scarier and seemingly more dangerous, but most women prefer clean-shaven men.”
For the first experiment, the researchers looked at 258 females and 175 male college students. The participants were recorded while reading a passage. The recordings were then rated by 558 women and 568 men. Each male recording was rated by women for attractiveness and by men for dominance. Overall, the recordings were rated more for dominance as opposed to attractiveness, implying that a deeper voice was associated with greater male dominance.
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In an alternative experiment, researchers recorded 53 women and two groups of men with 62 in one group and 58 in the other. Their saliva was tested for cortisol and testosterone. For women, there was no correlation between voice pitch and cortisol or testosterone levels. In men, however, deeper voices were associated with low cortisol and high testosterone levels.
The findings were published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Also, read Bel Marra Health’s article on OTC male enhancement product often ineffective, possibly harmful.
Sources:
http://news.psu.edu/story/408567/2016/05/04/research/deep-male-voices-not-so-much-sexy-intimidating
Mohan Garikiparithi got his degree in medicine from Osmania University (University of Health Sciences). He practiced clinical medicine for over a decade before he shifted his focus to the field of health communications. During his active practice he served as the head of the Dept. of Microbiology in a diagnostic centre in India. On a three-year communications program in Germany, Mohan developed a keen interest in German Medicine (Homoeopathy), and other alternative systems of medicine. He now advocates treating different medical conditions without the use of traditional drugs. An ardent squash player, Mohan believes in the importance of fitness and wellness.
