Quote:
It's all in the voice – especially George Clooney's
by Moira Holden
A study into the attraction of voice revealed women who are fertile and seeking a potential father are turned on by deep voices like George Clooney's. But once they have given birth, they are more likely to prefer the squeaky tones of David Beckham. A study of the Hadza tribe, in Tanzania, was carried out by anthropologist Dr Coren Apicella and psychologist Dr David Feinberg. The tribe is described as one of the 'last true hunter-gatherers' and a 'window to our past'. Researchers played different voice recordings to members of the tribe. The study showed that fertile women preferred husky voices – like George Clooney – because it is a sign of health, dominance and good genes. A man with a deep voice was seen as a better hunter with good immunity to illness. But once the women had babies they were attracted to higher-pitched voices – like David Beckham's – because the tone was viewed as a signal that he would make a better father. Dr Apicella, from Harvard University, said: 'Women who were breastfeeding had a stronger preference for high-pitched male voices, whereas women who were not breastfeeding preferred lower-pitched voices. 'As testosterone is considered a costly signal associated with dominance and low paternal investment, women's preferences may reflect a trade-off between securing good genes and paternal investment.
'Voice pitch, similar to other features such as faces, may be an indicator of underlying mate quality in humans. Vocal attractiveness is correlated with body and facial attractiveness in both men and women.'
Men were attracted to women with higher-pitched voices because it suggests they are subordinate, feminine and healthy.
Looks like you both were right by Moira Holden
A study into the attraction of voice revealed women who are fertile and seeking a potential father are turned on by deep voices like George Clooney's. But once they have given birth, they are more likely to prefer the squeaky tones of David Beckham. A study of the Hadza tribe, in Tanzania, was carried out by anthropologist Dr Coren Apicella and psychologist Dr David Feinberg. The tribe is described as one of the 'last true hunter-gatherers' and a 'window to our past'. Researchers played different voice recordings to members of the tribe. The study showed that fertile women preferred husky voices – like George Clooney – because it is a sign of health, dominance and good genes. A man with a deep voice was seen as a better hunter with good immunity to illness. But once the women had babies they were attracted to higher-pitched voices – like David Beckham's – because the tone was viewed as a signal that he would make a better father. Dr Apicella, from Harvard University, said: 'Women who were breastfeeding had a stronger preference for high-pitched male voices, whereas women who were not breastfeeding preferred lower-pitched voices. 'As testosterone is considered a costly signal associated with dominance and low paternal investment, women's preferences may reflect a trade-off between securing good genes and paternal investment.
'Voice pitch, similar to other features such as faces, may be an indicator of underlying mate quality in humans. Vocal attractiveness is correlated with body and facial attractiveness in both men and women.'
Men were attracted to women with higher-pitched voices because it suggests they are subordinate, feminine and healthy.
