Are We Talking Sexy?

There’s surely something in the lilt of a woman’s voice when she talks to a ‘special’ member of the opposite sex. Likewise, there is something more than ordinary in the timber of a man’s voice when he talks to an attractive woman.

What causes our voices to literally 'rise above the ordinary' and sound sexier when we talk to people we are interested in?

Researchers recently found that higher levels of testosterone in men helped them produce deeper voices, whereas higher levels of oestrogen in women helped the ladies produce higher-pitched voices. Men and women use these voice levels specifically to communicate with someone they are flirtatiously interested in.

This has also led to a survey by the research group which says, our voices may provide an insight into perceived adulterous behaviour. So if a woman talks to her friendly neighbourhood 'spiderman' in a overly feminine voice, she can be suspected of having other motives apart from the usual platonic friendship that is expected! Therefore, would-be love cheats have been singled out by the way they modulate their voices to catch the attention of the opposite sex.

We all know that men like high-pitched and soft feminine voices, whereas women fall for the deep-throated baritones of men that signal they are ‘hot’.

In terms of sexual strategy, therefore, men and women use voice pitch as a warning sign of future betrayal. The more attractive the voice - a higher pitch for women and a lower pitch for men - the more likely the chances that he or she will cheat.

But this does not mean that we avoid striking relationships with people who have attractive voices, thinking that they may cheat on us in future. Singers, theatre artistes, voice-over artistes and other creative people use voice modulation to attract adulating crowds of fans. And who cares about perceived infidelity, till the man or woman in your life with that golden voice, croons sweet nothings only in your ears?