'Attractive' Voice May Speak Volumes About Desirability

July 28, 2008— -- An appealing voice -- a warm, confident murmur that seems to emanate from the chest rather then the neck -- can be a turn-on for many of us. Now there is strong evidence that demonstrates that an "attractive" voice serves a purpose: to draw us to the most genetically fit potential mates.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, researchers have shown that the human voice is more than just a stand-alone trait. It's an indicator of desirable yet difficult to perceive physiological and mental strengths.

Lead researcher Susan M. Hughes of the psychology department at Albright College in Pennsylvania measured the hands, elbows, wrists and fingers of 76 men and women between the ages of 18 to 34 to take stock of their "bilateral body symmetry."

Researchers then compared the right parts to the left parts, measuring them with instruments able to detect differences barely perceptible to the naked eye.

Research has already demonstrated that those with more symmetrical bodies are often more fit, at least in the Darwinian sense. They seem to be more fertile/virile, less susceptible to illness and less likely to carry genetic anomalies.

"Symmetry is an indirect measure of developmental fitness. That is, likely to pass on your genes to the next generation," Hughes says. Surviving the assaults of womb life -- parasites, genetic bullets -- requires a certain toughness.

After researchers had parts of their subjects' bodies measured, the volunteers were asked to count from one to 10 into a voice recorder.

A total of 101 undergraduates listened to the recordings and rated the voices on a scale from 1 to 7. The traits they were asked to measure -- approachability, dominance, healthiness, honesty, intelligence, likelihood to get dates, maturity, sexiness and warmth -- have been shown to be important in mate selection.

It came as small surprise to Hughes that the people with greater "bilateral body symmetry" also had the highest-rated voices. But, interestingly enough, the correlation was evident only for certain traits.