Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Vocal Attractiveness

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Voice attractiveness

Definition

The desirability of vocalizations to potential mates

Introduction

Vocalizations across a wide array of taxa exhibit sexually dimorphic acoustic parameters that emerge at sexual maturity and covary with mating and reproductive success (Andersson 1994). Indeed, the conspicuity of vocal sexual dimorphisms in some species prompted Darwin to speculate on the influence of sexual selection (Darwin 1871), conjecturing that deep male vocalizations tend to evolve in the context of intrasexual rivalry as a means of exaggerating apparent size. This hypothesis has been supported by subsequent research on many species, though human voices also influence attractiveness to potential mates and may thus reflect aspects of mate quality, including underlying genes (Puts et al. 2016). Indeed, human vocal attractiveness has been the focus of an expanding literature exploring both vocal cues of mate quality and the acoustic parameters most predictive of an attractive...

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

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andersson, M. B. (1994). Sexual Selection. Princeton: 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(1659), 1077–1082. doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.1542.

    Google Scholar 

  • Apicella, C. L., Feinberg, D. R., & Marlowe, F. W. (2007). Voice pitch predicts reproductive success in male hunter-gatherers. Biology Letters, 3(6), 682–684. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0410.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Babel, M., McGuire, G., & King, J. (2014). Towards a more nuanced view of vocal attractiveness. PLoS One, 9(2), e88616.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Baeck, H., Corthals, P., & Van Borsel, J. (2011). Pitch characteristics of homosexual males. Journal of Voice, 25(5), e211–e214.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, S. A., & Missing, C. (2003). Vocal and visual attractiveness are related in women. Animal Behaviour, 65(5), 997–1004. doi:10.1006/anbe.2003.2123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darwin, C. (1871). The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. London: Murray.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, D. R., DeBruine, L. M., Jones, B. C., Little, A., O’Connor, J. J., & 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(3), 413–418.

    Article  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(4), 615–623. doi:10.1068/p5514.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, D. R., Jones, B. C., Law Smith, M. J., Moore, F. R., DeBruine, L. M., Cornwell, R. E., … Perrett, D. I. (2006). Menstrual cycle, trait estrogen level, and masculinity preferences in the human voice. Hormones and Behavior, 49(2), 215–222. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.07.004

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, D. R., Jones, B. C., Little, A. C., Burt, D. M., & Perrett, D. I. (2005). Manipulations of fundamental and formant frequencies influence the attractiveness of human male voices. Animal Behaviour, 69(3), 561–568. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.06.012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferdenzi, C., Patel, S., Mehu-Blantar, I., Khidasheli, M., Sander, D., & Delplanque, S. (2013). Voice attractiveness: Influence of stimulus duration and type. Behavior Research Methods, 45(2), 405–413.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. K., Cárdenas, R. A., Wheatley, J. R., Welling, L. L. M., Burriss, R. P., Claes, P., … Puts, D. A. (in press). Are there vocal cues to human developmental stability? Relationships between facial fluctuating asymmetry and voice attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behavior. doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.10.008

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. K., Hunt, J., Welling, L. L. M., Cárdenas, R. A., Rotella, M. A., Wheatley, J. R., … Puts, D. A. (2013). Quantifying the strength and form of sexual selection on men's traits. Evolution and Human Behavior, 34(5), 334–341. doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2013.05.004

    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(4), 406–427. doi:10.1007/s12110-010-9101-5.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  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(3), 551–557. doi:10.1007/s10508-010-9625-0.

    Article  PubMed  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(5), 295–304. doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2004.06.001.

    Article  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(2), 192–194. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0626.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kempe, V., Puts, D. A., & Cárdenas, R. A. (2013). Masculine men articulate less clearly. Human Nature, 24(4), 461–475.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., Bailey, D. H., Winegard, B., Puts, D. A., Welling, L. L., & Geary, D. C. (2014). Women’s preference for masculine traits is disrupted by images of male-on-female aggression. PLoS One, 9(10), e110497.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Nishio, M., & Niimi, S. (2008). Changes in speaking fundamental frequency characteristics with aging. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 60(3), 120–127. doi:10.1159/000118510.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, J. J., Feinberg, D. R., Fraccaro, P. J., Borak, D. J., Tigue, C. C., Re, D. E., … Tiddeman, B. (2012). Female preferences for male vocal and facial masculinity in videos. Ethology, 118(4), 321–330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pipitone, R. N., & Gallup, G. G. (2008). Women’s voice attractiveness varies across the menstrual cycle. Evolution and Human Behavior, 29(4), 268–274. doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2008.02.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pisanski, K., Fraccaro, P. J., Tigue, C. C., O’Connor, J. J., Röder, S., Andrews, P. W., … Feinberg, D. R. (2014). Vocal indicators of body size in men and women: A meta-analysis. Animal Behaviour, 95, 89–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A. (2005). Mating context and menstrual phase affect women’s preferences for male voice pitch. Evolution and Human Behavior, 26(5), 388–397. doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2005.03.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A., Apicella, C. L., & Cardenas, R. A. (2012). Masculine voices signal men’s threat potential in forager and industrial societies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1728), 601–609. doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.0829.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A., Bailey, D. H., Cardenas, R. A., Burriss, R. P., Welling, L. L., Wheatley, J. R., & Dawood, K. (2013). Women’s attractiveness changes with estradiol and progesterone across the ovulatory cycle. Hormones and Behavior, 63(1), 13–19. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.11.007.

    Article  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(1), 111–115. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.09.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A., Hill, A. K., Bailey, D. H., Walker, R. S., Rendall, D., Wheatley, J. R., … Ramos-Fernandez, G. (2016). Sexual selection on male vocal fundamental frequency in humans and other anthropoids. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283(1829). doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.2830

    Google Scholar 

  • Rantala, M. J., Moore, F. R., Skrinda, I., Krama, T., Kivleniece, I., Kecko, S., & Krams, I. (2012). Evidence for the stress-linked immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in humans. Nature Communications, 3, 694. doi:10.1038/ncomms1696.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  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 147470491301100209.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sell, A., Bryant, G. A., Cosmides, L., Tooby, J., Sznycer, D., von Rueden, C., … Gurven, M. (2010). Adaptations in humans for assessing physical strength from the voice. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 277(1699), 3509–3518. doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.0769

    Google Scholar 

  • Simmons, L. W., Peters, M., & Rhodes, G. (2011). Low pitched voices are perceived as masculine and attractive but do they predict semen quality in men? PLoS One, 6(12), e29271.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Valentová, J., Roberts, S. C., & Havlíček, J. (2013). Preferences for facial and vocal masculinity in homosexual men: the role of relationship status, sexual restrictiveness, and self-perceived masculinity. Perception, 42(2), 187–197.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Valentová, J. V., & Havlíček, J. (2013). Perceived sexual orientation based on vocal and facial stimuli is linked to self-rated sexual orientation in Czech men. PLoS One, 8(12), e82417.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dongen, S., & Gangestad, S. W. (2011). Human fluctuating asymmetry in relation to health and quality: a meta-analysis. Evolution and Human Behavior, 32(6), 380–398. doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2011.03.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vukovic, J., Feinberg, D. R., Jones, B. C., DeBruine, L. M., Welling, L. L. M., Little, A. C., & Smith, F. G. (2008). Self-rated attractiveness predicts individual differences in women’s preferences for masculine men’s voices. Personality and Individual Differences, 45(6), 451–456. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2008.05.013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vukovic, J., Jones, B. C., DeBruine, L., Feinberg, D. R., Smith, F. G., Little, A. C., … Main, J. (2010). Women’s own voice pitch predicts their preferences for masculinity in men’s voices. Behavioral Ecology, 21(4), 767–772. doi:10.1093/beheco/arq051

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheatley, J. R., Apicella, C. A., Burriss, R. P., Cárdenas, R. A., Bailey, D. H., Welling, L. L. M., & Puts, D. A. (2014). Women’s faces and voices are cues to reproductive potential in industrial and forager societies. Evolution and Human Behavior, 35(4), 264–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, Y., Lee, A., Wu, W.-L., Liu, X., & Birkholz, P. (2013). Human vocal attractiveness as signaled by body size projection. PLoS One, 8(4), e62397.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Box 353100, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Alexander K. Hill

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

    David A. Puts

Authors
  1. Alexander K. Hill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David A. Puts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexander K. Hill .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland Univ Dept of Psycholgy, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana Weekes-Shackelford

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

    Todd K. Shackelford

  3. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University, 492 Bluemont Hall, Manhattan, KS, USA

    Gary L Brase

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Hill, A.K., Puts, D.A. (2016). Vocal Attractiveness. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1880-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1880-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation