Attractiveness of Male Speakers: Effects of Pitch and Tempo

Abstract

Men with lower pitched voices tend to be rated as more attractive by female listeners; this tendency has been attributed to female sexual selection. Males not only speak with a lower pitch than females, however, but they also tend to speak at a faster tempo. Therefore, this study investigates whether speech tempo also affects the subjective attractiveness of male speakers for female listeners. To this end, sentences read by 24 male speakers were changed in relative tempo (factors 0.85, 1.00, and 1.15) and in overall pitch (−1.5, 0, +1.5 semitone), and were presented with and without fictitious portraits of the speakers. Ratings of speakers’ attractiveness by female heterosexual listeners show significant effects of both tempo and pitch, in that voices with increased pitch and with decreased tempo are rated as significantly less attractive. In conclusion, female listeners rate a male speaker as less attractive if his voice pitch is increased (higher) and if his speech tempo is decreased (slower). Therefore, both tempo and pitch may be relevant for speech-based sexual selection of males by females.