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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Determining Ultrasonic Vocalization Preferences in Mice using a Two-choice Playback Test

Determining Ultrasonic Vocalization Preferences in Mice using a Two-choice Playback Test

Published on: September 3, 2015

Men's voices and women's choices.

¹Behavioural Biology Section, Institute of Evolutionary & Ecological Sciences, Leiden, The Netherlands

Animal Behaviour

|December 23, 2000

Summary

Women prefer deeper male voices, associating them with attractiveness and masculinity. However, these vocal cues do not accurately reflect actual physical traits, suggesting a complex role in sexual selection.

Area of Science:

Evolutionary psychology
Bioacoustics
Human behavior

Background:

Female mate choice is a key driver of sexual selection.
Male vocal characteristics may signal underlying traits relevant to mate quality.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the relationship between male vocal characteristics and female perceptions of attractiveness and physical traits.
To determine if female judgments align with actual male physical characteristics.

Main Methods:

Recorded 34 males vocalizing vowels and analyzed acoustic properties (harmonic frequencies, peak frequency, formant frequencies).
Collected male physical data (age, weight, height, body measurements, chest hair presence).
Had females rate recordings on attractiveness, perceived age, weight, height, muscularity, and chest hair.

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Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Determining Ultrasonic Vocalization Preferences in Mice using a Two-choice Playback Test

Determining Ultrasonic Vocalization Preferences in Mice using a Two-choice Playback Test

Published on: September 3, 2015

Eliciting and Analyzing Male Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalization (USV) Songs

Eliciting and Analyzing Male Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalization (USV) Songs

Published on: May 9, 2017

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

Published on: September 27, 2024

Main Results:

Lower-frequency, closely spaced harmonics in male voices were linked to higher attractiveness ratings.
These vocal traits were also associated with perceptions of older age, heavier weight, more muscularity, and chest hair.
No correlation was found between vocal characteristics and actual physical measurements.
Female judges' perceptions were inaccurate for most traits except weight, but showed high agreement.

Conclusions:

Results suggest potential sexual selection favoring deeper male voices, possibly indicating female preference for certain vocal cues.
The inaccuracy of these perceptions challenges the direct signaling function of these vocal traits for mate quality.
The evolutionary function of this vocal preference remains unclear due to the disconnect with reality.