When we like someone we make subtle changes to our voice in order to woo the other person. In addition, in the process of courtship or flirting, these imperceptible modulations also make the person who performs them seem more attractive to the interlocutor. It is the main conclusion of a new study led by the University of Stirling (United Kingdom) that analyzed the vocal ranges of men and women in courtship situations.
For the study, the researchers analyzed the vocal patterns of 110 heterosexual individuals, comparing men and women both when they were conversing with people they found attractive and when they were not. Thus, they discovered that when men spoke to women they found attractive, men’s voices became more “sing-song” and more variable; when they spoke to women who did not like their voices became lower and deeper.
“Previous research has shown that humans signal their romantic interest in a number of different ways, including non-verbal behaviors and body language, such as eye contact and casual touch , such as fiddling with someone’s hair. Our study shows that people also modulate their voices to signal romantic interest and that this, in turn, makes the speaker appear more attractive, ”says Juan David Leongómez, study leader.
Although masculinity is important for men, the study has shown that extreme masculinity, such as speaking with a deeper and deeper tone of voice, is associated with negative traits in the couple, since they lead to an increase of aggressiveness and promiscuity. “ This puts men in a dilemma , because they have to convey two seemingly contradictory messages at the same time. The solution may be to vary their tone of voice – which would explain the singing quality of the voices that we have observed in men when they speak with attractive women ”, explains Leongómez.
The study has been published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior .
