Higher-pitched voices are perceived as financially trustworthy

Previous research is mixed as to whether listeners perceive higher- or lower-pitched voices as more financially trustworthy. These mixed results may be owing to variation in the degree of risk implied in the scenarios used to measure perceptions of financial trustworthiness. I tested whether the degree of risk in the type of trust game used to elicit such perceptions (i.e., potential profit/loss versus equal/unequal division of money) and/or perceptions of financial risk-taking clarifies the influence of voice pitch on perceptions of financial trustworthiness. I found that listeners preferred partners with higher- rather than lower-pitched voices, regardless of the degree of risk involved in the trust game. Listeners also sent more money to both proposers and responders with higher-pitched voices. In contrast, listeners perceived lower-pitched voices as more likely to take financial risks and as more generally trustworthy. Perceptions of financial trustworthiness were positively associated with perceptions of general trustworthiness but were not related to perceptions of financial risk-taking. These findings suggest that speakers with higher-pitched voices are perceived as relatively financially trustworthy, independently of implied or perceived financial risk.