Puts’ Scientific Reports study found that men with lower formant frequencies-a deeper resonance in their voices-tended to be taller, larger, and stronger. So, several recent studies set out to determine if there were biological truths underlying these assumptions. In other studies, such men were often seen as more effective CEOs, more deserving political candidates, and in some cases, better leaders.īut just because baritones and basses are perceived as badass doesn’t mean they actually are. In a 2020 study published in Scientific Reports, David Puts, an anthropologist at Pennsylvania State University, and his colleagues revealed that men with lower-pitched voices were viewed as more likely to win a fist fight. Research shows that both men and women tend to perceive men with deeper voices as more alpha. From sea lions and koalas to giant pandas and dogs, males of various species appear to judge how dangerous other males are based on their voices. In addition, men with deep voices might be more successful at intimidating and outcompeting male rivals. It could be that women simply tend to choose men with low voices, allowing them to pass on their Barry White–like genes. However, there are contradictions hidden in vocal tones-and not everyone is convinced that vocal pitch speaks volumes about men’s vigor. In the last two years, a spate of anthropological studies suggests that deep voices really are honest indicators of many stereotypical traits, from handgrip strength to fighting prowess. Are men who sound like Barry White really more likely to fend off attackers and sire healthier children than men with tenor tones like Justin Timberlake? But why would that be?įor years, anthropologists have been trying to discover if male vocal parameters evolved as reliable signals of bodily condition, be it robust immune systems, reproductive fitness, or brawny physiques. Given the widespread fondness for baritones and basses across various sexual identities and cultures, it seems likely that there is an evolutionary reason behind this preference and that vocal pitch may have been an important element in how humans selected mates for millennia.
Among Hadza hunter-gatherers in Northern Tanzania, women perceive men with lower voices to be better hunters, and such men father more children, possibly because they are considered more attractive and high status. Achieving a deep voice is also associated with greater well-being in trans men. In another study of trans men undergoing testosterone therapy, vocal masculinization was found to be the most important trait participants wished to change. One study found that single homosexual men rate low-pitched voices as more attractive.
This preference for virile voices extends beyond cisgender, heterosexual, industrialized contexts. “Judgments of anything that contributes to success in competition-age, size, muscle mass, confidence, leadership-they are all strongly affected by voice pitch,” says Carolyn Hodges-Simeon, an anthropologist at Boston University. Men with low, resonant voices are more likely to be perceived as attractive, masculine, respectable, and dominant. Research confirms that deep voices give men an aura of power and sexual allure. American television host David Letterman once asked the singer to read a list of mundane words, including “gingivitis” and “gubernatorial,” to prove they would sound romantic in White’s bass-baritone voice. For many people, Barry White crooning in his thick, honey voice how he “ Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” is the ultimate sound of desire and sexual attraction.
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