Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sexual Selection on Human Voices

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Sexual Psychology and Behavior

Part of the book series: Evolutionary Psychology ((EVOLPSYCH))

Abstract

Vocal communication is important in many mammals, including many nonhuman primates, but in no species is it more important than in humans. Given the relevance of vocal communication to both men and women, it is conspicuous that some of the largest human sex differences occur in the voice. Understanding why men’s and women’s voices differ as dramatically as they do promises to elucidate human communication and social dynamics in general and human mating and status competition in particular. We review research suggesting that sexual selection shaped the acoustic features of the human voice and consider how mate choice and contest competition may have influenced women’s and men’s voices. We find that male mate choice may have maintained high, youthful-sounding voices in women, perhaps because feminine voices advertise women’s fertility. We also review evidence that men’s voices were shaped by female mate choice and male contests and advertise men’s mate value and threat potential and that women’s preferences for and men’s deference to masculine voices reflect this information content. We discuss data suggesting that vocal masculinity influences men’s mating opportunities and reproduction and conclude by highlighting directions for future research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andersson, M. (1994). Sexual selection. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Apicella, C. L., & Feinberg, D. R. (2009). Voice pitch alters mate-choice-relevant perception in hunter-gatherers. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 276, 1077–1082.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Apicella, C. L., Feinberg, D. R., & Marlowe, F. W. (2007). Voice pitch predicts reproductive success in male hunter-gatherers. Biology Letters, 3, 682–684.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Archer, J. (2009). Does sexual selection explain human sex differences in aggression? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 32, 249–266.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aronovich, C. D. (1976). The voice of personality: Stereotyped judgments and their relation to voice quality and sex of speaker. Journal of Social Psychology, 99, 207–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aufdemorte, T. B., Sheridan, P. J., & Holt, G. R. (1983). Autoradiographic evidence of sex steroid receptors in laryngeal tissues of the baboon (Papio cynocephalus). Laryngoscope, 93, 1607–1611.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Awan, S. N. (2006). The aging female voice: Acoustic and respiratory data. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 20, 171–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barber, N. (1995). The evolutionary psychology of physical attractiveness: Sexual selection and human morphology. Ethology and Sociobiology, 16, 395–424.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bateman, A. J. (1948). Intra-sexual selection in Drosophila. Heredity, 2, 349–368.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boonekamp, J. J., Ros, A. H., & Verhulst, S. (2008). Immune activation suppresses plasma testosterone level: A meta-analysis. Biology Letters, 4, 741–744.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Booth, A., & Dabbs, J. M. (1993). Testosterone and men’s marriages. Social Forces, 72, 463–477.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouman, A., Heineman, M. J., & Faas, M. M. (2005). Sex hormones and the immune response in humans. Human Reproduction Update, 11, 411–423.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bruckert, L., Lienard, J. S., Lacroix, A., Kreutzer, M., & Leboucher, G. (2006). Women use voice parameters to assess men’s characteristics. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 273, 83–89.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, G. A., & Haselton, M. G. (2009). Vocal cues of ovulation in human females. Biology Letters, 5, 12–15.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buckingham, G., DeBruine, L. M., Little, A. C., Welling, L. L. M., Conway, C. A., Tiddeman, B. P., et al. (2006). Visual adaptation to masculine and feminine faces influences generalized preferences and perceptions of trustworthiness. Evolution and Human Behavior, 27, 381–389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burnham, T. C., Chapman, J. F., Gray, P. B., McIntyre, M. H., Lipson, S. F., & Ellison, P. T. (2003). Men in committed, romantic relationships have lower testosterone. Hormones and Behavior, 44, 119–122.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M., & Dedden, L. A. (1990). Derogation of competitors. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7, 395–422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cashdan, E. (1996). Women’s mating strategies. Evolutionary Anthropology, 5, 134–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cashdan, E. (1998). Are men more competitive than women? British Journal of Social Psychology, 37(Pt 2), 213–229.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chagnon, N. (1990). On Yanomamo violence: Reply to Albert. Current Anthropology, 31, 49–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chagnon, N. A. (1992). Yanomamo (4th ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charlton, B. D., Reby, D., & McComb, K. (2007). Female red deer prefer the roars of larger males. Biology Letters, 3, 382–385.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Childers, D. G., & Wu, K. (1991). Gender recognition from speech. Part II: Fine analysis. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 90, 1841–1856.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, E., Reichard, U. H., & Zuberbuhler, K. (2006). The syntax and meaning of wild gibbon songs. PLoS ONE, 1, e73.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T. H., & Vincent, A. C. (1991). Sexual selection and the potential reproductive rates of males and females. Nature, 351, 58–60.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, S. A. (2000). Men’s voices and women’s choices. Animal Behaviour, 60, 773–780.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, S. A., & Missing, C. (2003). Vocal and visual attractiveness are related in women. Animal Behaviour, 65, 997–1004.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowlishaw, G. U. Y. (1996). Sexual selection and information content in gibbon song bouts. Ethology, 102, 272–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowlishaw, G., & Dunbar, R. I. (1991). Dominance rank and mating success in male primates. Animal Behaviour, 41, 1045–1056.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crockford, C., Herbinger, I., Vigilant, L., & Boesch, C. (2004). Wild chimpanzees produce group-specific calls: A case for vocal learning? Ethology, 110(3), 221–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dabbs, J. M., & Mallinger, A. (1999). High testosterone levels predict low voice pitch among men. Personality and Individual Differences, 27, 801–804.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, N., & Warren, P. (2001). Pitching it difference in New Zealand English: Speaker sex and intonation patters. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 5, 85–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, M., & Wilson, M. (1988). Homicide. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, M., & Wilson, M. (1990). Killing the competition. Human Nature, 1, 81–107.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Darwin, C. (1859). On the origin of species by means of natural selection. London: John Murray.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darwin, C. (1871). The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. London: John Murray.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darwin, C. (1882). The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex (2nd ed.). London: John Murray.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeBruine, L. M., Jones, B. C., & Perrett, D. I. (2005). Women’s attractiveness judgments of self-resembling faces change across the menstrual cycle. Hormones and Behavior, 47, 379–383.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Debruyne, F., Decoster, W., Van Gijsel, A., & Vercammen, J. (2002). Speaking fundamental frequency in monozygotic and dizygotic twins. Journal of Voice, 16, 466–471.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Decoster, W., & Debruyne, F. (1997). The ageing voice: Changes in fundamental frequency, waveform stability and spectrum. Acta Oto-Rhino-Laryngologica Belgica, 51, 105–112.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • de la Torre, S., & Snowdon, C. T. (2009). Dialects in pygmy marmosets? Population variation in call structure. American Journal of Primatology, 71(4), 333–342.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Delgado, R. A. (2006). Sexual selection in the loud calls of male primates: Signal content and function. International Journal of Primatology, 27, 5–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durante, K. M., Griskevicius, V., Hill, S. E., Perilloux, C., & Li, N. P. (2011). Ovulation, female competition, and product choice: Hormonal influences on consumer behavior. The Journal of Consumer Research, 37, 921–934.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durante, K. M., Li, N. P., & Haselton, M. G. (2008). Changes in women’s choice of dress across the ovulatory cycle: Naturalistic and laboratory task-based evidence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 1451–1460.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eibl-Eibesfeldt, I. (1989). Human ethology. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, H. (1905). Studies in the psychology of sex: Sexual selection in man. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, S., Neave, N., & Wakelin, D. (2006). Relationships between vocal characteristics and body size and shape in human males: An evolutionary explanation for a deep male voice. Biological Psychology, 72, 160–163.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, S., Neave, N., Wakelin, D., & Hamilton, C. (2008). The relationship between testosterone and vocal frequencies in human males. Physiology and Behavior, 93, 783–788.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fant, G. (1960). Acoustic theory of speech production. The Hague: Mouton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, D. R., DeBruine, L. M., Jones, B. C., & Little, A. C. (2008). Correlated preferences for men’s facial and vocal masculinity. Evolution and Human Behavior, 29, 233–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, D. R., DeBruine, L. M., Jones, B. C., Little, A. C., O’Connor, J. J. M., & Tigue, C. C. (2012). Women’s self-perceived health and attractiveness predict their male vocal masculinity preferences in different directions across short- and long-term relationship contexts. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 66, 413–418.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, D. R., DeBruine, L. M., Jones, B. C., & Perrett, D. I. (2008). The role of femininity and averageness of voice pitch in aesthetic judgments of women’s voices. Perception, 37, 615–623.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, D. R., Jones, B. C., Law Smith, M. J., Moore, F. R., DeBruine, L. M., Cornwell, R. E., et al. (2006). Menstrual cycle, trait estrogen level, and masculinity preferences in the human voice. Hormones and Behavior, 49, 215–222.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, D. R., Jones, B. C., Little, A. C., Burt, D. M., & Perrett, D. I. (2005). Manipulations of fundamental and formant frequencies affect the attractiveness of human male voices. Animal Behaviour, 69, 561–568.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, J., Hammerschmidt, K., Cheney, D. L., & Seyfarth, R. M. (2002). Acoustic features of male baboon loud calls: Influences of context, age, and individuality. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 111, 1465–1474.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, J., Semple, S., Fickenscher, G., Jurgens, R., Kruse, E., Heistermann, M., et al. (2011). Do women’s voices provide cues of the likelihood of ovulation? The importance of sampling regime. PLoS One, 6, e24490.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fitch, W. T. (1997). Vocal tract length and formant frequency dispersion correlate with body size in rhesus macaques. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 102, 1213–1222.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fitch, W. T., & Giedd, J. (1999). Morphology and development of the human vocal tract: A study using magnetic resonance imaging. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 106, 1511–1522.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fitch, J. L., & Holbrook, A. (1970). Modal vocal fundamental frequency of young adults. Archives of Otolaryngology, 92, 379–382.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Folstad, I., & Karter, A. J. (1992). Parasites, bright males and the immuno-competence handicap. American Naturalist, 139, 603–622.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forstmeier, W., Burger, C., Temnow, K., & Deregnaucourt, S. (2009). The genetic basis of zebra finch vocalizations. Evolution, 63, 2114–2130.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gangestad, S. W., & Simpson, J. A. (2000). On the evolutionary psychology of human mating: Trade-offs and strategic pluralism. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23, 573–587.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gangestad, S. W., & Thornhill, R. (2008). Human oestrus. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 275, 991–1000.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gangestad, S. W., Thornhill, R., & Garver, C. E. (2002). Changes in women’s sexual interests and their partners’ mate-retention tactics across the menstrual cycle: Evidence for shifting conflicts of interest. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 269, 975–982.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gangestad, S. W., Thornhill, R., & Garver-Apgar, C. E. (2010). Men’s facial masculinity predicts changes in their female partners’ sexual interests across the ovulatory cycle, whereas men’s intelligence does not. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31, 412–424.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaulin, S. J. C., & Boster, J. S. (1985). Cross cultural differences in sexual dimorphism: Is there any variance to be explained. Ethology and Sociobiology, 6, 193–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geary, D. C. (2000). Evolution and proximate expression of human paternal investment. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 55–77.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ghazanfar, A. A., Turesson, H. K., Maier, J. X., Van Dinther, R., Patterson, R. D., & Logothetis, N. K. (2007). Vocal-tract resonances as indexical cues in rhesus monkeys. Current Biology, 17(5), 425–430.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, J. (2004). Formant frequencies and body size of speaker: A weak relationship in adult humans. Journal of Voice, 32, 277–287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graddol, D., & Swann, J. (1983). Speaking fundamental frequency: Some physical and social correlates. Language and Speech, 26, 351–366.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grammer, K., Renninger, L., & Fischer, B. (2004). Disco clothing, female sexual motivation, and relationship status: Is she dressed to impress? Journal of Sex Research, 41, 66–74.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, P. B., Kahlenberg, S. M., Barrett, E. S., Lipson, S. F., & Ellison, P. T. (2002). Marriage and fatherhood are associated with lower testosterone in males. Evolution and Human Behavior, 23, 193–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, S. M. (1981). Sex differences and age gradations in vocalizations of Japanese and lion-tailed monkey. American Zoologist, 21, 165–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greisbach, R. (1999). Estimation of speaker height from formant frequencies. Forensic Linguistics, 6, 265–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, C. J. (1985). Interactions between the gonadal steroids and the immune system. Science, 227, 257–261.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guéguen, N. (2009a). Menstrual cycle phase and female receptivity to a courtship solicitation: An evaluation in a nightclub. Evolution and Human Behavior, 30, 351–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guéguen, N. (2009b). The receptivity of women to courtship solicitation across the menstrual cycle: A field experiment. Biological Psychology, 80, 321–324.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harries, M., Hawkins, S., Hacking, J., & Hughes, I. (1998). Changes in the male voice at puberty: Vocal fold length and its relationship to the fundamental frequency of the voice. Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 112, 451–454.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harries, M. L., Walker, J. M., Williams, D. M., Hawkins, S., & Hughes, I. A. (1997). Changes in the male voice at puberty. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 77, 445–447.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, T. R., Fitch, W. T., Goldstein, L. M., & Fashing, P. J. (2006). Black and white colobus monkey (Colobus guereza) roars as a source of both honest and exaggerated information about body mass. Ethology, 112, 911–920.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haselton, M. G., & Gangestad, S. W. (2006). Conditional expression of women’s desires and men’s mate guarding across the ovulatory cycle. Hormones and Behavior, 49, 509–518.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haselton, M. G., Mortezaie, M., Pillsworth, E. G., Bleske-Rechek, A., & Frederick, D. A. (2007). Ovulatory shifts in human female ornamentation: Near ovulation, women dress to impress. Hormones and Behavior, 51, 40–45.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hauser, M. D. (1992). Articulatory and social factors influence the acoustic structure of rhesus monkey vocalizations: A learned mode of production? Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 91(4), 2175–2179.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hauser, M. D. (1993). The evolution of nonhuman primate vocalizations: Effects of phylogeny, body weight and social-context. American Naturalist, 142, 528–542.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hauser, M. D., & Marler, P. (1993a). Food-associated calls in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) I: Socioecological factors. Behavioral Ecology, 4(3), 194–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hauser, M. D., & Marler, P. (1993b). Food-associated calls in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) II: Costs and benefits of call production and suppression. Behavioral Ecology, 4(3), 206–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henrich, J., & Gil-White, F. J. (2001). The evolution of prestige: Freely conferred deference as a mechanism for enhancing the benefits of cultural transmission. Evolution and Human Behavior, 21, 165–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henton, C. (1995). Pitch dynamism in female and male speech. Language and Communication, 15, 43–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewlett, B. S. (1988). Sexual selection and parental investment among Aka pygmies. In L. Betzig, M. Borgerhoff Mulder, & P. Turke (Eds.), Human reproductive behavior: A Darwinian perspective (pp. 263–276). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewlett, B. S. (1992). Husband-wife reciprocity and the father-infant relationship among Aka pygmies. In B. S. Hewlett (Ed.), Father-child relations: Cultural and biosocial contexts (pp. 153–176). New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodges-Simeon, C. R., Gaulin, S. J., & Puts, D. A. (2010). Different vocal parameters predict perceptions of dominance and attractiveness. Human Nature, 21, 406–427.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hodges-Simeon, C. R., Gaulin, S. J., & Puts, D. A. (2011). Voice correlates of mating success in men: Examining “contests” versus “mate choice” modes of sexual selection. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 551–557.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hollien, H., Green, R., & Massey, K. (1994). Longitudinal research on adolescent voice change in males. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 96, 2646–2654.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hopp, S. L., Owren, M. J., & Evans, C. S. (1997). Animal acoustic communication: Sound analysis and research methods. Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howell, N. (1979). Demography of the Dobe! Kung. New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, S. M., Dispenza, F., & Gallup, G. G. (2004). Ratings of voice attractiveness predict sexual behavior and body configuration. Evolution and Human Behavior, 25, 295–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, S. M., Harrison, M. A., & Gallup, G. G., Jr. (2002). The sound of symmetry: Voice as a marker of developmental instability. Evolution and Human Behavior, 23, 173–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, B. C., Boothroyd, L. G., Feinberg, D. R., & DeBruine, L. M. (2010). Age at menarche predicts individual differences in women’s preferences for masculinized male voices in adulthood. Personality and Individual Differences, 48, 860–863.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, B. C., DeBruine, L. M., Little, A. C., & Feinberg, D. R. (2007). The valence of experience with faces influences generalized preferences. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 5, 119–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, B. C., DeBruine, L. M., Little, A. C., Watkins, C. D., & Feinberg, D. R. (2011). ‘Eavesdropping’ and perceived male dominance rank in humans. Animal Behaviour, 81, 1203–1208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, B. C., Feinberg, D. R., Debruine, L. M., Little, A. C., & Vukovic, J. (2008). Integrating cues of social interest and voice pitch in men’s preferences for women’s voices. Biology Letters, 4, 192–194.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, B. C., Feinberg, D. R., DeBruine, L. M., Little, A. C., & Vukovic, J. (2010). A domain-specific opposite-sex bias in human preferences for manipulated voice pitch. Animal Behaviour, 79, 57–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, B. C., Little, A. C., Boothroyd, L., Debruine, L. M., Feinberg, D. R., Smith, M. J., et al. (2005). Commitment to relationships and preferences for femininity and apparent health in faces are strongest on days of the menstrual cycle when progesterone level is high. Hormones and Behavior, 48, 283–290.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, B. C., Perrett, D. I., Little, A. C., Boothroyd, L., Cornwell, R. E., Feinberg, D. R., et al. (2005). Menstrual cycle, pregnancy and oral contraceptive use alter attraction to apparent health in faces. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 272, 347–354.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kenrick, D., Groth, G., Trost, M., & Sadalla, E. (1993). Integrating evolutionary and social exchange perspectives on relationships: Effects of gender, self-appraisal, and involvement level on mate selection criteria. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 951–969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenrick, D. T., Sadalla, E. K., Groth, G., & Trost, M. R. (1990). Evolution, traits, and the stages of human courtship: Qualifying the parental investment model. Journal of Personality, 58, 97–116.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Klofstad, C. A., Anderson, R. C., & Peters, S. (2012). Sounds like a winner: Voice pitch influences perception of leadership capacity in both men and women. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 279, 2698–2704.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kunzel, H. J. (1989). How well does average fundamental frequency correlate with speaker height and weight? Phonetica, 46, 117–125.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lass, N. J., & Brown, W. S. (1978). Correlational study of speakers’ heights, weights, body surface areas, and speaking fundamental frequencies. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 63, 1218–1220.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Little, A. C., Jones, B. C., Debruine, L. M., & Caldwell, C. A. (2011). Social learning and human mate preferences: A potential mechanism for generating and maintaining between-population diversity in attraction. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B Biological Sciences, 366, 366–375.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, A. C., Jones, B. C., Penton-Voak, I. S., Burt, D. M., & Perrett, D. I. (2002). Partnership status and the temporal context of relationships influence human female preferences for sexual dimorphism in male face shape. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 269, 1095–1100.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Low, B. S., Alexander, R. D., & Noonan, K. M. (1987). Human hips, breasts and buttocks: Is fat deceptive? Ethology and Sociobiology, 8, 249–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Main, J. C., Jones, B. C., DeBruine, L. M., & Little, A. C. (2009). Integrating gaze direction and sexual dimorphism of face shape when perceiving the dominance of others. Perception, 38, 1275–1283.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McIntyre, M., Gangestad, S. W., Gray, P. B., Chapman, J. F., Burnham, T. C., O’Rourke, M. T., et al. (2006). Romantic involvement often reduces men’s testosterone levels—But not always: The moderating role of extrapair sexual interest. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 642–651.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mitani, J. C. (1985). Sexual selection and adult male orangutan long calls. Animal Behavior, 33, 272–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitani, J. C., & Gros-Louis, J. (1995). Species and sex differences in the screams of chimpanzees and bonobos. International Journal of Primatology, 16, 393–411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitani, J. C., & Stuht, J. (1998). The evolution of nonhuman primate loud calls: Acoustic adaptation for long-distance transmission. Primates, 39, 171–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, F. R., Al Dujaili, E. A., Cornwell, R. E., Smith, M. J., Lawson, J. F., Sharp, M., et al. (2011). Cues to sex- and stress-hormones in the human male face: Functions of glucocorticoids in the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis. Hormones and Behavior, 60, 269–274.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, F. R., Cornwell, R. E., Smith, M. J., Al Dujaili, E. A., Sharp, M., & Perrett, D. I. (2011). Evidence for the stress-linked immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in human male faces. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 278, 774–780.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, S. R., Butler, J., Hammond, E. H., & Gray, S. D. (2000). Preliminary report on hormone receptors in the human vocal fold. Journal of Voice, 14, 72–81.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nishio, M., & Niimi, S. (2008). Changes in speaking fundamental frequency characteristics with aging. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 60, 120–127.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, J. J. M., Feinberg, D. R., Fraccaro, P. J., Borak, D. J., Tigue, C. C., Re, D. E., et al. (2012). Female preferences for male vocal and facial masculinity in videos. Ethology, 118, 321–330.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, J. J. M., Fraccaro, P. J., & Feinberg, D. R. (2012). The influence of male voice pitch on women’s perceptions of relationship investment. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 10, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohala, J. J. (1983). Cross-language use of pitch: An ethological view. Phonetica, 40, 1–18.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ohala, J. J. (1984). An ethological perspective on common cross-language utilization of F0 of voice. Phonetica, 41, 1–16.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Owren, M. J., Dieter, J. A., Seyfarth, R. M., & Cheney, D. L. (1993). Vocalizations of rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and Japanese (M. fuscata) macaques cross-fostered between species show evidence of only limited modification. Developmental Psychobiology, 26(7), 389–406.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Penton-Voak, I. S., Little, A. C., Jones, B. C., Burt, D. M., Tiddeman, B. P., & Perrett, D. I. (2003). Female condition influences preferences for sexual dimorphism in faces of male humans (Homo sapiens). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 117, 264–271.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perrett, D. I., Lee, K. J., Penton-Voak, I., Rowland, D., Yoshikawa, S., Burt, D. M., et al. (1998). Effects of sexual dimorphism on facial attractiveness. Nature, 394, 884–887.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pillsworth, E. G., & Haselton, M. G. (2006). Male sexual attractiveness predicts differential ovulatory shifts in female extra-pair attraction and male mate retention. Evolution and Human Behavior, 27, 247–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinker, S. (1994). The language instinct. New York: William Morrow and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pipitone, N. R., & Gallup, G. G., Jr. (2008). Women’s voice attractiveness varies across the menstrual cycle. Evolution and Human Behavior, 29, 268–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pipitone, N. R., & Gallup, G. (2011). The unique impact of menstruation on the female voice: Implications for the evolution of menstrual cycle cues. Ethology, 118, 281–291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A. (2005). Mating context and menstrual phase affect women’s preferences for male voice pitch. Evolution and Human Behavior, 26, 388–397.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A. (2006). Cyclic variation in women’s preferences for masculine traits: Potential hormonal causes. Human Nature, 17, 114–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A. (2010). Beauty and the beast: Mechanisms of sexual selection in humans. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31, 157–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A., Apicella, C. L., & Cárdenas, R. A. (2012). Masculine voices signal men’s threat potential in forager and industrial societies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279, 601–609.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A., Bailey, D. H., Cárdenas, R. A., Burriss, R. P., Welling, L. L., Wheatley, J. R., et al. (2012). Women’s attractiveness changes with estradiol and progesterone across the ovulatory cycle. Hormones and Behavior, 63, 13–19.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A., Barndt, J. L., Welling, L. L. M., Dawood, K., & Burriss, R. P. (2011). Intrasexual competition among women: Vocal femininity affects perceptions of attractiveness and flirtatiousness. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 111–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A., Gaulin, S. J. C., & Verdolini, K. (2006). Dominance and the evolution of sexual dimorphism in human voice pitch. Evolution and Human Behavior, 27, 283–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A., Hodges, C., Cárdenas, R. A., & Gaulin, S. J. C. (2007). Men’s voices as dominance signals: Vocal fundamental and formant frequencies influence dominance attributions among men. Evolution and Human Behavior, 28, 340–344.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A., Jones, B. C., & DeBruine, L. M. (2012). Sexual selection on human faces and voices. Journal of Sex Research, 49, 227–243.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reby, D., McComb, K., Cargnelutti, B., Darwin, C., Fitch, W. T., & Clutton-Brock, T. (2005). Red deer stags use formants as assessment cues during intrasexual agonistic interactions. Proceedings of the Biological Sciences, 272, 941–947.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rendall, D., Kollias, S., Ney, C., & Lloyd, P. (2005). Pitch (F0) and formant profiles of human vowels and vowel-like baboon grunts: The role of vocalizer body size and voice-acoustic allometry. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 117, 944–955.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rendall, D., Owren, M. J., Weerts, E., & Hienz, R. D. (2004). Sex differences in the acoustic structure of vowel-like grunt vocalizations in baboons and their perceptual discrimination by baboon listeners. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 115, 411–421.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Riding, D., Lonsdale, D., & Brown, B. (2006). The effects of average fundamental frequency and variance of fundamental frequency on male vocal attractiveness to women. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 30, 55–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, M. L., Buchanan, K. L., & Evans, M. R. (2004). Testing the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis: A review of the evidence. Animal Behavior, 68(2), 227–239.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, M., & Peters, A. (2009). Is testosterone immunosuppressive in a condition-dependent manner? An experimental test in blue tits. Journal of Experimental Biology, 212, 1811–1818.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Röder, S., Fink, B., & Jones, B. C. (2013). Facial, olfactory, and vocal cues to female reproductive value. Evolutionary Psychology, 11(2), 392–404.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roney, J. R., & Simmons, Z. L. (2008). Women’s estradiol predicts preference for facial cues of men’s testosterone. Hormones and Behavior, 53, 14–19.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roney, J. R., Simmons, Z. L., & Gray, P. B. (2011). Changes in estradiol predict within-women shifts in attraction to facial cues of men’s testosterone. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 36, 742–749.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rowher, S. (1977). Status signaling in Harris’ sparrows: Some experiments in deception. Behaviour, 61, 107–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowher, S., & Ewald, P. W. (1981). The cost of dominance and advantage of subordination in a badge signaling system. Evolution, 35, 441–454.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, M. J., & Rand, A. S. (1995). Female responses to ancestral advertisement calls in tungara frogs. Science, 269, 390–392.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Saez, S., & Sakai, F. (1976). Androgen receptors in human pharyngo-laryngeal mucosa and pharyngo-laryngeal epithelioma. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry, 7, 919–921.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salzano, F. M., Neel, J. V., & Maybury-Lewis, D. (1967). I. Demographic data on two additional villages: Genetic structure of the tribe. American Journal of Human Genetics, 19, 463–489.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, D. P., & Buss, D. M. (1996). Strategic self-promotion and competitor derogation: Sex and context effects on the perceived effectiveness of mate attraction tactics. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 1185–1204.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sell, A., Bryant, G. A., Cosmides, L., Tooby, J., Sznycer, D., von Rueden, C., et al. (2010). Adaptations in humans for assessing physical strength from the voice. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 277, 3509–3518.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seyfarth, R., Cheney, D. L., & Marler, P. (1980). Vervet monkey alarm calls: Semantic communication in a free-ranging primate. Animal Behaviour, 28, 1070–1094.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, A. P. (2009). Phonetic differences between male and female speech. Language and Linguistics Compass, 3, 621–640.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, D. S., Jones, B. C., Feinberg, D. R., & Allan, K. (2012). A modulatory effect of male voice pitch on long-term memory in women: Evidence of adaptation for mate choice? Memory and Cognition, 40, 135–144.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snowdon, C. T. (2004). Sexual selection and communication. In P. Kappeler & C. P. van Schaik (Eds.), Sexual selection in primates: New and comparative perspectives (pp. 57–70). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tigue, C. C., Borak, D. J., O’Connor, J. J. M., Chandl, C., & Feinberg, D. R. (2012). Voice pitch influences voting behavior. Evolution and Human Behavior, 33, 210–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Titze, I. R. (2000). Principles of voice production. Iowa City, Iowa: National Center for Voice and Speech.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tossi, O., Postan, D., & Bianculli, C. (1976). Longitudinal study of children’s voice at puberty. Paper presented at the XVIth International Congress of Logopedics and Phoniatrics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trivers, R. L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In B. Cambell (Ed.), Sexual selection and the descent of man, 1871–1971 (pp. 136–179). London: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tusing, K. J., & Dillard, J. P. (2000). The sounds of dominance: Vocal precursors of perceived dominance during interpersonal influence. Human Communication Research, 26, 148–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tybur, J. M., & Gangestad, S. W. (2011). Mate preferences and infectious disease: Theoretical considerations and evidence in humans. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B Biological Sciences, 366, 3375–3388.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Dommelen, W. A., & Moxness, B. H. (1995). Acoustic parameters in speaker height and weight identification: Sex-specific behaviour. Language and Speech, 38(Pt 3), 267–287.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vukovic, J., Feinberg, D. R., Jones, B. C., DeBruine, L. M., Welling, L. L. M., Little, A. C., et al. (2008). Self-rated attractiveness predicts individual differences in women’s preferences for masculine men’s voices. Personality and Individual Differences, 45, 451–456.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vukovic, J., Jones, B. C., DeBruine, L. M., Feinberg, D. R., Smith, F. G., Little, A. C., et al. (2010). Women’s own voice pitch predicts their preferences for masculinity in men’s voices. Behavioral Ecology, 21, 767–772.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vukovic, J., Jones, B. C., Feinberg, D. R., Debruine, L. M., Smith, F. G., Welling, L. L., et al. (2011). Variation in perceptions of physical dominance and trustworthiness predicts individual differences in the effect of relationship context on women’s preferences for masculine pitch in men’s voices. British Journal of Psychology, 102, 37–48.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, C. D., Fraccaro, P. J., Smith, F. G., Vukovic, J., Feinberg, D. R., DeBruine, L. M., et al. (2010). Taller men are less sensitive to cues of dominance in other men. Behavioral Ecology, 21, 943–947.

    Google Scholar 

  • Welling, L. L., Jones, B. C., DeBruine, L. M., Conway, C. A., Law Smith, M. J., Little, A. C., et al. (2007). Raised salivary testosterone in women is associated with increased attraction to masculine faces. Hormones and Behavior, 52, 156–161.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolff, S. E., & Puts, D. A. (2010). Vocal masculinity is a robust dominance signal in men. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 64, 1673–1683.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu, K., & Childers, D. G. (1991). Gender recognition from speech. Part I: Coarse analysis. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 90, 1828–1840.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    David A. Puts

  2. Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Leslie M. Doll & Alexander K. Hill

Authors
  1. David A. Puts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Leslie M. Doll
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alexander K. Hill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David A. Puts .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Puts, D.A., Doll, L.M., Hill, A.K. (2014). Sexual Selection on Human Voices. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Evolutionary Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0314-6_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation