And in a study of homosexual males, single men preferred deeper voices, but men in couples showed no such preference. Research on voices and body condition aren't always consistent.
When asked to rate the voice's attractiveness on a 1 to 5 scale, the men preferred the voices that suggested a smaller female. Past a certain point, though, higher voices were judged as no more attractive that slightly deeper ones.
"Quite a few studies have shown men tend to favour a higher pitch in women because it is feminine and youthful, while women tend to like men to have deeper voices that are seen as more masculine and linked to testosterone."
Study says men find women with a lower voice more attractive | Daily Mail Online.
Their study revealed that males find female voices that indicate a smaller body size—high-pitched, breathy voices with wide formant spacing—most attractive. Females, on the other hand, prefer to hear a low-pitched voice with narrow formant spacing, reflecting a larger body size.
There is also abundant evidence that women prefer men with a deep voice, while men prefer women with a high voice. Attractive male voices are around 96 Hz and the most attractive women voices are up to 280 Hz.
Results show that when men listened to the voice of a woman at her most fertile, they rated her as more attractive, experienced an increase in heart rate and also experienced increased galvanic skin responses (GSR).
It used to be thought that voice pitch in mammals relates to body size, but that is no longer believed top be the case. McElligott pointed out that you can have big men with higher-pitched voices, or smaller men with lower-pitched voices, so pitch is not always an indication of body size.
A different study on the perception of vocal sexiness says that men and women both find mid-pitched voices to be the “most sexy.” At the same time, a different study on interviewers' voices says that being high-pitched with an extensive vocal range is the most attractive.
Lower-pitched voices are associated with dominance and protectiveness — but without breathiness, such a voice can sound too aggressive. Sounding more assertive — and being more assertive — might have the unintended effect of changing whether or not a man finds a woman attractive.
"When a woman naturally lowers her voice, it may be perceived as her attempt to sound more seductive or attractive, and therefore serves as a signal of her romantic interest," she adds. Their research also measured people's awareness of the changes in others' voices.
"However," he says, "evidence suggests men evolved deeper voices mainly for intimidating other men rather than attracting women." Studies show that men with deeper voices tend to have higher testosterone levels (an indicator of dominance) and a more athletic body type.
In fact, owners of a deep voice get better ratings for all kinds of qualities. A 2012 study on electoral success found they were considered more intelligent, more trustworthy, more confident, more likable, healthier, and of a higher social status than high-pitched men.
A deep, strong, masculine voice is not without its benefits. Women prefer men with deeper voices, and find what they say more memorable than men with higher-pitched ones. And a strong, deep voice can make a man seem more confident and authoritative.
In a new study, U.S. researchers say your deep-pitched voice makes you sound more dominant and intimidating to other men, but it does little to impress women – over the long-term. This all goes back to evolution, according to Penn State University doctors.
The pitch of someone's voice also contributes to how attractive they're perceived. “Males, in general, tend to find female voices that have a slightly higher pitch and are slightly breathier more attractive than female voices that are slightly lower in pitch,” says Monahan.
A 2010 study published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, found that both men and women tend to lower their voices if they find someone they are conversing with attractive, although some experts suggest that women will make their voices even more high-pitched in the presence of a potential suitor, to accentuate ...
The vocal cords' vibration makes sound, just like a strummed guitar does. And like guitar strings, smaller cords create a higher sound. Girls' vocal cords are usually shorter and thinner than most boys', which is why their voices sound higher. This difference in pitch is even more noticeable in grown-up men and women.
Husky voices signal "sexual interest" and can help women stand out from the crowd, say researchers. Perhaps less surprisingly, the study found men also drop their pitch when they meet women they are attracted to.
Summary: A new study reveals a link between vocal characteristics and individual personality traits. Those with deeper voices were more dominant, extroverted, and tended to rank higher in sociosexuality.
"A deep voice is commonly associated with manliness and being male and, until recently, the majority of marketing from a male perspective has relied on the depiction of the male voice as being deeper in pitch," says Vinny Raval, a speech and language therapist, and director at The Speech Coach.
The size of the vocal folds is largely determined by the size of the larynx, and their thickness is further influenced by the action of hormones such as testosterone. The larger the larynx, the longer and thicker the vocal folds and the lower the pitch of the voice.
Men's lower voices are associated with higher levels of testosterone (Simmons, Peters, & Rhodes, 2011). In contrast, men prefer women with higher-pitched voices. Women with higher-pitched voices are perceived to be younger—as well as thinner (Collins & Missing, 2003).
As a result, women find men with lower-pitched voices more attractive. It's the opposite for men, who are more attracted to women with higher-pitched voices, which is perceived as a marker for femininity. Attractiveness in the voice is important for the impressions we give our potential partners.
It seems that studies done on the speaking voice say that men prefer women with higher-pitched voices. These studies report that men 'see' women with higher-pitched voices as being younger and thinner.