A recent study aimed to understand whether average-sounding voices are more attractive, similar to findings in facial attractiveness. Researchers found that while average voices are perceived as less distinctive, they are not necessarily more attractive. The findings have been published in Scientific Reports.
The motivation behind this research lies in understanding the factors that influence vocal attractiveness. Attractive voices are often perceived to belong to effective leaders, are favored in hiring decisions, and are preferred in romantic contexts.
In facial attractiveness, more average-looking faces are often found to be more attractive, likely because they are easier for the brain to process. A previous study suggested that more average-sounding voices might also be more attractive, but this effect had not been replicated. The new study aimed to replicate these findings and explore the relationships between vocal attractiveness, fundamental frequency, and formant frequencies.
“We were curious to understand how averageness relates to distinctiveness and attractiveness perceptions of voices. Specifically, if we replicated the Bruckert et al. (2010) work with other voice stimuli how it would affect judgements on these traits,” said study author Jessica Ostrega, who recently earned her Ph.D. in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behavior.
The researchers conducted three studies to examine the effects of vocal averageness on distinctiveness and attractiveness.
In the first study, the researchers sought to determine whether making voices more average would impact how distinctive they were perceived to be. They recorded 32 male and 32 female university students saying “Hi.” These recordings were then manipulated to create varying levels of vocal averageness, from individual voices to blends of up to 32 voices, using specialized software. This process involved averaging specific acoustic characteristics like pitch and duration.
To assess distinctiveness, 49 male and 47 female participants rated the distinctiveness of 126 voices on a 7-point scale. The study was conducted online, and participants had to listen to each voice before rating it. The voices were presented in random order, and each participant rated both male and female voices in separate blocks.
The findings from Study 1 revealed that as the voices became more average, they were perceived as less distinctive. This confirmed that the manipulation of vocal averageness was detectable by listeners and influenced their perception of the voices. The significant negative effect of averageness on distinctiveness ratings demonstrated that participants could discern the changes in vocal characteristics.
The second study aimed to test whether increasing vocal averageness would make voices more attractive, replicating previous findings that suggested a positive effect of averageness on vocal attractiveness. The same voice recordings and manipulation methods were used as in Study 1. This time, a different group of 49 male and 50 female participants rated the attractiveness of the voices on a 7-point scale.
Contrary to expectations, the results of Study 2 showed that increasing vocal averageness did not significantly affect attractiveness ratings. Unlike the earlier study, which reported a positive effect of averageness on vocal attractiveness, this study found no significant change in attractiveness ratings as the voices became more average. This null result suggested that the relationship between vocal averageness and attractiveness might be more complex than previously thought.
“It was surprising to not replicate the Bruckert et al. (2010) results,” Ostrega told PsyPost.
In the third study, the researchers examined the relationship between vocal attractiveness and two specific acoustic properties: fundamental frequency (pitch) and formant frequencies (which relate to vocal tract length). They measured these properties for each of the voices used in the previous studies. The aim was to determine how these acoustic characteristics influenced attractiveness ratings.
The analysis confirmed well-established findings that lower-pitched male voices and higher-pitched female voices were rated as more attractive. Male voices with lower fundamental frequencies and female voices with higher fundamental frequencies were perceived as more attractive by the participants. However, formant frequencies, which are indicators of vocal tract length, did not significantly predict attractiveness for either gender.
“I think the average person can take away that the unique characteristics of our voices may play a role in what others judge to be attractive, as the least distinct voices were not necessarily judged as the most attractive in our findings,” Ostrega said.
But as with any study, there are some caveats to consider.
“This study was an examination of voice judgements in a controlled online experiment, where participants listened to only the sound of voices speaking a single monosyllabic word,” Ostrega noted. “Many other attributes can contribute to attractiveness perceptions in real world settings. We hope to continue exploring the relationship between voice attractiveness and distinctiveness, and how unique voice traits affect judgements of others.”
The study, “No evidence that averaging voices influences attractiveness,” was authored by Jessica Ostrega, Victor Shiramizu, Anthony J. Lee, Benedict C. Jones, and David R. Feinberg.