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Trusting the Voice? When an Attractive Voice Meets the "In-Group" Effect
1Department of Medical Humanities, School of Humanities, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 28, 2026
Summary
Voice attractiveness and group identity independently affect trust decisions, but these effects depend on context, role, and feedback. Initial trust is influenced by voice and group, but this diminishes with feedback.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Auditory Perception
Background:
- Previous studies identified isolated impacts of voice attractiveness and group identity on trust.
- The combined influence of these factors on trust decisions remained underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the simultaneous effects of male voice attractiveness and group identity on female trust decisions.
- To examine these influences when participants acted as trusters and trustees.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with female participants.
- Experiment 1: Assessed trust decisions towards trustees with varying voice attractiveness and group identity.
- Experiment 2: Assessed trust decisions when participants acted as trusters, evaluating expectations and reciprocity.
Main Results:
- Trustees with attractive voices received higher initial investments; in-group trustees received more when feedback was unknown.
- These effects disappeared after feedback was provided.
- Participants expected trusters with attractive voices to elicit higher investments and showed greater reciprocity towards in-group trusters.
Conclusions:
- Voice attractiveness and group identity influence trust independently and contextually.
- The 'beauty premium' and 'in-group favoritism' effects in trust are dynamic, varying by role, feedback, and decision stage.
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