According to scientists, men whose voices resemble soul singer Barry White have a better chance in the mating game, as women tend to remember a deeper male voice.
Women exhibit a heightened sensitivity to voice pitch, recalling lower tones more easily than higher ones. This ability influences their decisions to either select or dismiss the gentleman in question based on what they remember.
Research conducted at the University of Aberdeen indicates that women utilize voice pitch to evaluate genetic quality and behavioral characteristics, such as antisocial behavior and emotional warmth when seeking a long-term partner.
The significance of voice pitch becomes clear as women search for lasting relationships. It aids them in assessing genetic quality alongside behaviors like antisocial tendencies and absence of warmth.
When assessing potential partners, women depend on their memories to swiftly retrieve information regarding their suitor’s characteristics and previous conduct.
In the first experiment, 45 women initially viewed an image of a single object while listening to its name pronounced by either a high or low-pitched male or female manipulated voice.
Afterward, they were presented with two similar yet slightly different versions of the object and tasked with identifying the one they had seen previously. The women were also inquired about their voice preference.
For the second experiment, alongside manipulated voices, the researchers employed actual male and female voices to assess how 46 new women rated these voices alongside their object memory performance.
In both experiments, the authors discovered a strong tendency among women to favor the low-pitched male voice, which also enhanced their accuracy in recalling the introduced objects.
Dr. David Smith, the lead researcher, stated: ‘Our findings show that women’s memory improves with lower-pitched male voices, contrasting with the less appealing higher-pitched male voices.
‘Our two experiments reveal for the first time how signals from the opposite sex that are crucial for mate selection also impact the accuracy of women’s memory.’
Dr. Kevin Allan, the research supervisor, commented: ‘We believe this demonstrates that evolution has influenced women’s capabilities to remember details tied to desirable men.
‘A strong memory for specific interactions with appealing men enables women to assess and compare them concerning their probable behaviors in various relationship scenarios, such as a long-term committed relationship versus a fleeting uncommitted one.
‘This ability aids women in selecting a fitting partner, which is vital given the potentially severe repercussions of poor mate choice decisions.’
by Susan Floyd
