Voice Pitch May Predict Infidelity

According to a recent study, the pitch of one’s voice, as heard by the opposite sex, can give away their likelihood of cheating on their partner. For instance, women believe that cheating is more likely, the lower a man’s voice, whereas men believe that cheating is more likely, the higher a women’s voice.

"In terms of sexual strategy, we found that men and women will use voice pitch as a warning sign of future betrayal. So the more attractive the voice -- a higher pitch for women and lower pitch for men -- the more likely the chances he or she will cheat," says Jillian O'Connor, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University and lead author of the study.

In the study, subjects were asked to listen to recordings of a male and female with higher pitched voices, followed by recordings of a male and female with lower pitched voices. From these clips, participants were then asked to evaluate the couples by deciding which of the two were most likely to cheat.

"The reason voice pitch influences perceptions of cheating is likely due to the relationship between pitch, hormones and infidelity," explains David Feinberg, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour and advisor on the study.

Physiologically, men with higher testosterone levels typically have lower pitched voices and women with higher estrogen levels tend to have higher pitched voices. Meanwhile, higher levels of such hormones in men and women tend to be associated with elevated sex drive, as well as, adultery, according to this study.

In a nut shell, this study was seeking to uncover, from an evolutionary perspective, some sort of motivating factor in how people choose their mates so that any future financial or emotional costs associated with infidelity can be avoided.

At this moment, most of us are asking ourselves how this research might apply to individuals of other sexual orientations, in addition to comparing our partner’s voice to others…

Can You Predict Your Mate Will Cheat by Their Voice?

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