Having a deep voice makes men seem more attractive

Read about the author Samantha Evans

Take note, men. If you want a woman to remember you or what you are saying, speak in a low pitched voice. Research at the University of Aberdeen by David Smith and his colleagues in 2011 found that a deep male voice is important for both choice of partner and accuracy of the female memory.

Memory in women is sensitive to male voice pitch, important for mate choice because it can indicate genetic quality as well as signalling unattractive antisocial traits and lack of emotional warmth, both of which are undesirable in a long term partner.

In one of two experiments, women were asked to identify and remember an object described in both a high or low pitched male voice or female manipulated voice. Shown two similar but not identical objects, they were asked to identify the one they had seen earlier and to rate which voice they preferred. The second experiment used real male and female voices with new subjects.

The results for both experiments revealed the women had a stronger preference for the low pitched male voice and remembered the objects more accurately when they were introduced by a deep male voice.

The researchers concluded that good memory for specific encounters with desirable men allows women to compare and evaluate men according to how they might behave in a long term committed relationship as opposed to a short term uncommitted relationship. This enables women to choose the right partner and avoid the emotional pain that occurs when they choose the wrong partner.

Using deep male voices to advertise products for women could influence their decision to purchase the products, depending what it is, or at least enable them to remember the product: though some products aimed at women do not lend themselves well to being described by a deep voiced man!