Low-pitched Voice Research Articles

The contribution of a brand spokesperson’s voice to consumer-based brand equity

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the characteristics of a brand spokesperson’s voice that are the most valuable for consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) and evaluates various explanations in previous research regarding the influences of a speaker’s voice.Design/methodology/approachBrand identities can transfer their associations and affect as well as influence brand recall, thus contributing to CBBE. In addition, the pitch and gender of a speaker’s voice are considered as key characteristics of voice perception. This experimental study exposed 521 respondents to 12 different voices and measured the effects of a spokesperson’s voice pitch and gender on associations, attitude toward the voice and brand recall.FindingsThis study presents a model that explains the influence of a brand spokesperson’s voice on CBBE. The findings show that low-pitched voices induced distinctive, positive associations and led to a more positive attitude toward the voice and greater brand recall, regardless of the gender of the spokesperson and that of the respondent. Moreover, voice associations partially mediated the effects on attitude toward the voice and completely mediated the effects on brand recall.Originality/valueWhile numerous brands have resorted to specific voices to represent themselves, brand spokesperson’s voice and its associations have not been studied. This study highlights the importance of a spokesperson’s voice pitch and its associations in building CBBE and nuances the roles of spokespersons’ and respondents’ gender.

Voices of Africa: acoustic predictors of human male vocal attractiveness

Robust evidence shows that voice quality affects various social interactions, including mate preferences. Previous research found that male voices perceived as attractive are characterized by low voice pitch, lower or sexually typical formants and relatively high breathiness. These features tend to be seen as markers of an individual's quality as a potential mate. Although there are considerable differences between languages in vocal parameters that could influence the perceived attractiveness, the above-mentioned findings rely on research based mainly on participants from European or North American countries. In our study, we therefore tested the main acoustic predictors of vocal attractiveness using two male samples from Cameroon and Namibia. Standardized vocal recordings were then assessed for vocal attractiveness by a panel of female raters from the Czech Republic. Our results show that in the Cameroonian voices, fundamental frequency was strongly negatively associated with perceived vocal attractiveness. In the Namibian sample, however, it was not the fundamental frequency but lower mean formants and harmonics-to-noise ratio that were negatively associated with vocal attractiveness. This pattern may be partly attributed to differences in morphological characteristics such as the body mass index, indicating variation across individual populations.

Qualidade de vida em voz e sintomas vocais de cantores solistas amadores da Igreja Batista Palavra Viva de Florianópolis

Objetivo: analisar a qualidade de vida relacionada à voz de cantores solistas de uma igreja evangélica e sua relação com eventuais queixas vocais. Métodos: estudo de caráter transversal descritivo e quantitativo, cuja população é formada por 49 cantores amadores de igreja evangélica. Os participantes foram esclarecidos quanto aos objetivos da pesquisa e assinaram o Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido. Em seguida, responderam a um questionário de identificação e, preencheram os seguintes instrumentos: Qualidade de Vida em Voz (QVV), Índice de Triagem para Distúrbio de Voz (ITDV) e Índice de Desvantagem para o Canto Moderno (IDVM). Resultados: da população total, 28,7%(14) homens e 71,4%(35) mulheres com idade média de 26 anos (+6,3). A média do escore geral do QVV foi 84,9 (+ 13,7), do IDCM de 30,9 (+20,9). O escore médio no ITDV foi de 1,7As queixas referidas por esta população foram:30,6% (35) quebras na voz; 26,5% (13) pigarro; 20,3% (10) voz grossa; 18,4% (9) garganta seca; 16,3%(8) cansaço ao falar; 14,3%(7) perda da voz; 14,3% (7) rouquidão; 14,3%(7) tosse seca; 4,1%(2) dor ao falar; 4,1%(2) secreção/catarro na garganta; e 2%(1) dor ao engolir. Conclusão: os cantores amadores de igreja deste estudo possuem queixas pouco frequentes. Quando presentes, seu impacto é percebido apenas na atividade do canto. No entanto, as alterações causadas pelas queixas não afetam a sua qualidade de vida relacionada à voz. Sugere-se que seja realizado um seguimento para monitorar a saúde vocal desses cantores.

The influence of voice pitch on perceptions of trustworthiness across social contexts

Abstract Perceptions of trustworthiness are an important predictor of social outcomes, such as monetary exchanges, criminal sentencing, and the attainment of leadership roles. Higher testosterone levels predict both lower voice pitch and untrustworthy behavior, across economic and mating contexts. Here, we tested the influence of voice pitch on perceptions of trustworthiness across general, economic, and mating-related (mate poaching, infidelity) contexts. We found that the context of trust and the sex of the speaker both changed how voice pitch affected perceived trustworthiness. Listeners were more trusting of higher-pitched female voices in economic and mate poaching contexts, but trusted lower-pitched female voices more in general. Listeners were more trusting of higher-pitched male voices in economic and mating-related contexts, and also tended to perceive higher-pitched male voices as more trustworthy in general. Listeners' attributions of trustworthiness were generally unrelated to perceptions of attractiveness from similarly-pitched voices, indicating that trust-related attributions were independent of preferences for higher- or lower-pitched voices. Furthermore, perceptions of general trustworthiness were associated with perceptions of economic trust, but were not consistently associated with perceptions of mating-related trust. These findings provide evidence that voice pitch alone is sufficient to influence trust-related perceptions, and demonstrates that listeners use voice pitch as a cue to trustworthy behavior.

Aggression in young men high in threat potential increases after hearing low-pitched male voices: two tests of the retaliation-cost model

Abstract Research suggests that male voice pitch is an honest dominance signal because it indexes men's physicality and because lower-pitched voices are more costly to develop and maintain. Rather than considering these signaler-dependent mechanisms, we tested a receiver-dependent mechanism hypothesized by M. Enquist's (1985) retaliation-cost model of aggressive signaling. The model predicts that, given a competitive scenario, low-pitched male voices will elicit aggression from male listeners (i.e., signal receivers) who are relatively high in threat potential. We confirmed this hypothesis in two experiments. Under a sexual but not control prime and after listening to low- but not average-pitched male voices, increases in heterosexual male participants' trait dominance predicted stronger aggressive cognitions (Experiment 1), and increases in male participants' handgrip strength predicted stronger aggressive intent (Experiment 2). These findings provide the first direct support for the retaliation-cost model in humans, extend research on the effects of male voice pitch on receiver psychology, and demonstrate an additional cost mechanism that explains why voice pitch is an honest signal of dominance in men.

Loupe Assisted Thyroidectomy: Prevention of Complications is better than Treating Them

Aim: Studying the value of the surgical loupe in the enhancement of performing safe thyroidectomy via dissection of the major structures which are vulnerable to injury during the operation. Subjects and methods: 150 patients with benign and malignant thyroid masses underwent near total or total thyroidectomy at Zagazig university hospitals. History taking and all necessary investigations were done. Thyroidectomy was done under the magnification of the surgical loupe and we dissected the recurrent laryngeal nerve, the external branch of superior laryngeal nerve, branches of superior thyroid artery and selectively ligating them and trace the parathyroid glands by following their minute blood vessels originating from the inferior thyroid artery. Results: Mean age of the patients was 42.5 years (range: 23-69). Female: male ratio was 19:11 (95/55). 65 patients (43.3%) had a discrete thyroid nodule and 85 patients (56.7%) had multinodular goiter. Patients were sent home in a mean of 1.6 days (1–4 days). No operative related mortality was encountered. Only three cases of transient hypocalcaemia which were resolved within three days by oral calcium supplementation and symptoms did not recur during the follow-up of these three patients. All patients were extubated without any complications. There was no any case recorded for hoarseness of voice or low pitched voice. There was only one case of secondary hemorrhage and was re-explored for control of the source (injured anterior jugular vein on the right side). Three cases developed hypertrophic scars during the follow up. Conclusion: total or near total thyroidectomy can be done with a minimal number of complications by using the surgical loupe during the dissection of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve and the parathyroid glands and their minute blood vessels.

Appropriation of Hindustani Musical Elements in Vocal Parts of Malay Ghazal

The main task of this paper is to illustrate how Hindustani musical elements are employed in the vocal lines of Malay ghazal which have been obscured or modified and "Malayized" throughout the past decades. In current Malay ghazal practices known in Johor, a particular singing style called "Parsi" that primarily focused on a specific embellishment of the melodic line could be observed. Another particular element is called "sarigama-singing" (Arshad, 2013; Rahman B., 2012) that refers to melodic ornaments resembling the gamak and taan in Hindustani classical music. The adaptation and its outcome that have been documented in some selected ghazals confirm the existence of a discerning tolerance towards elements detached from their originating cultural environment. This paper discusses stereotypical melodic elements sung by Malay musicians in Malay ghazal. Although various raga elements can be detected in the vocal melodies, these elements are not acknowledged and are not terminologically familiar to Malay ghazal musicians. The detected ragas maintain one tonic, which means that the main fifth (Sa-Pa) applies as a frame for an entire given melody. The range in which Malay ghazal is sung does not exceed one octave. Nonetheless, the actual starting pitch is somewhat fixed through the fact that early harmoniums could not shift in pitch. Therefore, Malay ghazals are mainly played for a high pitched male or a lower pitched female voice. Male singers performing ghazal may have obtained singing skills from the model of qawwali singers. There is no evidence for it in the reviewed literature. However, the knowledge about these special features that can also be observed in Hindustani ghazal is transmitted orally from one musician to the next (Norihan, 2012-2014). Main methods applied in this study are long term participant observation in the origination and in the host culture of ghazal practices, multi-perspective analysis of musical structures and terminology.

Multivariate Analysis of Risk Factors in the Development of a Lower-Pitched Voice After Thyroidectomy.

Thyroid surgeons frequently encounter outpatients with mobile vocal cords complaining of lower-pitched voices following thyroidectomy. This study investigated the clinical and pathological parameters affecting voice pitch following thyroid surgery. We analyzed the data of 393 patients with mobile vocal cords and who also underwent thyroid surgery. Speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) and fundamental frequency (F0) were compared before and after surgery. Approximately 26.7% of patients had significantly lowered SFFs (ΔSFF ≥ 12 Hz), and 30.2% exhibited significantly lower sustained vowel F0s (ΔF0 ≥ 12 Hz) following thyroid surgery. On multivariate analysis, only gender: female remained a significant predictor of a clinically significant change in SFF following thyroid surgery ( P < .001). Gender: female and extent of surgery: total remained significant predictors of a clinically significant change in F0 after surgery ( P = .006 and P = .007, respectively). Appreciable proportions of patients experience lower-pitched voice and related vocal symptoms early after thyroid surgery. Such problems develop more frequently in females who underwent total thyroidectomy.

Men's voice pitch influences women's trusting behavior

Women tend to trust men with low-pitched voices as political leaders but trust men with high-pitched voices in mating scenarios. To elucidate the role of pitch in perceptions of trust, we used a one-decision variant of the trust game in which female participants were given the choice to trust males to divide the money, or to end the game, taking a smaller than equal sum. Male receivers were simulated using pitch-manipulated voice recordings. Women trusted raised pitch voices more than lowered pitch voices. These results suggest that although people with masculine voices are entrusted to lead our governments, people with masculine voices are not trusted to divide up financial resources equitably on a personal level.

Vocal characteristics of presidential candidates can predict the outcome of actual elections

During political elections, voters rely on various cues that signal good social leadership, such as indicators of physical strength and masculinity. In adult men, masculine traits are related to testosterone levels, and one of those traits is low-pitched voice. Hence, lower pitch in a presidential candidate may be related to the election's outcome. This prediction is supported by experimental evidence showing that people prefer to vote for a candidate with a low-pitched voice. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between presidential candidates' vocal characteristics and actual election outcomes in 51 presidential elections held across the world. After analysis of the voices of opposing candidates, results showed that winners had lower-pitched voices with less pitch variability. Moreover, regression analysis revealed an interaction effect of voice pitch and voice pitch variability on the election outcome. Candidates with lower-pitched voices had greater likelihood of winning the election if they had higher pitch variability. This study extends previous findings, shows the importance of assessing vocal characteristics other than voice pitch, and offers external validity for the experimental evidence that candidates' vocal characteristics are related to the election outcome.

Universal vs. language-specific aspects in human vocal attractiveness: An investigation towards Japanese native listeners’ perceptual pattern

Studies on Western societies show that male voices with acoustic parameters encoding a big body size (low F0, narrow formant dispersion, and F0 range) were considered to be attractive, while the opposite was true for female voices (e.g., [Xu et al., 2013, PLoS ONE, 8(4), e62397]). The present work investigates whether Japanese native listeners are guided by the same principles in assessing the voices of the opposite sex. We replicated the design in Xu et al. (2013) with the added parameter of creaky voice, which is prevalent in North America nowadays and hotly debated in terms of attractiveness. Thirty-four heterosexual participants (16 female) rated the attractiveness of synthetic stimuli controlling for F0 height, formant distribution, F0 range and voice quality. Results indicate that their preferences for voice quality are similar with studies on Western societies (breathy > modal >creaky >pressed/tensed). Additionally, low-pitched male voice with narrow formant dispersion and high-pitched female voice...

The Long-Term Prognosis of Voice Pitch Change in Female Patients After Thyroid Surgery.

Relatively large numbers of patients complain of lower-pitched voices after thyroidectomy. However, little is known about the risk factors for, prognosis of, or progression over time of, such changes, in female patients. We analyzed the data of 217 patients who underwent thyroid surgery and postoperative (2weeks, and 3, 6, and 12months after surgery) voice work-ups. To identify patients with lower-pitched voices, speaking fundamental frequencies (SFFs) were compared before and after surgery. The change was calculated for all patients (postoperative change in SFF, ΔSFF). The mean ΔSFF was 8.35±17.06Hz and significant changes in voice pitch (ΔSFF≥12Hz) were evident in 93 (42.85%) patients after surgery, mostly within 6months, and only 18.4% of patients had lower-pitched voices 1year after surgery. On multivariate analysis, age (≥52 vs.<52years) and extent of surgery remained significant predictors of lower-pitched voice after surgery. The ΔSFFs of older patients (≥52) were significantly greater than those of younger patients (<52) at the 2-week follow-up, but not at the 3-, 6-, or 12-month follow-ups. The ΔSFFs of patients who underwent total thyroidectomy were significantly higher than those who underwent lobectomy at the postoperative 2-week follow-up, but did not differ at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Patients frequently experience a lower-pitched voice after thyroid surgery. Such problems develop more frequently in the early postoperative period, in aged patients, and in those who had undergone total thyroidectomy. However, over time, the changes usually decrease to levels similar to those of patients without these risk factors.

Low Vocal Pitch Preference Drives First Impressions Irrespective of Context in Male Voices but Not in Female Voices.

Vocal pitch has been found to influence judgments of perceived trustworthiness and dominance from a novel voice. However, the majority of findings arise from using only male voices and in context-specific scenarios. In two experiments, we first explore the influence of average vocal pitch on first-impression judgments of perceived trustworthiness and dominance, before establishing the existence of an overall preference for high or low pitch across genders. In Experiment 1, pairs of high- and low-pitched temporally reversed recordings of male and female vocal utterances were presented in a two-alternative forced-choice task. Results revealed a tendency to select the low-pitched voice over the high-pitched voice as more trustworthy, for both genders, and more dominant, for male voices only. Experiment 2 tested an overall preference for low-pitched voices, and whether judgments were modulated by speech content, using forward and reversed speech to manipulate context. Results revealed an overall preference for low pitch, irrespective of direction of speech, in male voices only. No such overall preference was found for female voices. We propose that an overall preference for low pitch is a default prior in male voices irrespective of context, whereas pitch preferences in female voices are more context- and situation-dependent. The present study confirms the important role of vocal pitch in the formation of first-impression personality judgments and advances understanding of the impact of context on pitch preferences across genders.

A lover or a fighter? Opposing sexual selection pressures on men's vocal pitch and facial hair.

The traditional assumption within the research literature on human sexually dimorphic traits has been that many sex differences have arisen from intersexual selection. More recently, however, there has been a shift toward the idea that many male features, including male lower-pitched voices and male beard growth, might have arisen predominantly through intrasexual selection: that is, to serve the purpose of male-male competition instead of mate attraction. In this study, using a unique set of video stimuli, we measured people's perceptions of the dominance and attractiveness of men who differ both in terms of voice pitch (4 levels from lower to higher pitched) and beard growth (4 levels from clean shaven to a month's hair growth). We found a nonlinear relationship between lower pitch and increased attractiveness; men's vocal attractiveness peaked at around 96 Hz. Beard growth had equivocal effects on attractiveness judgments. In contrast, perceptions of men's dominance simply increased with increasing masculinity (i.e., with lower-pitched voices and greater beard growth). Together, these results suggest that the optimal level of physical masculinity might differ depending on whether the outcome is social dominance or mate attraction. These dual selection pressures might maintain some of the documented variability in male physical and behavioral masculinity that we see today.

Spectral characteristics and formant bandwidths of English vowels produced by American males with different speaking styles

Speaking styles tend to have an influence on spectral characteristics of produced speech. There are not many studies on the spectral characteristics of speech because of complicated processing of too many spectral data. This study examined spectral characteristics and formant bandwidths of English vowels produced by nine American males with different speaking styles: clear or conversational styles; high- or low-pitched voices. PRAAT was used to collect pitch-corrected long-term averaged spectra and bandwidths of the first two formants of 11 vowels in the speaking styles. Results showed that the spectral characteristics of the vowels varied systematically according to the speaking styles. The clear speech showed higher spectral energy of the vowels than that of the conversational speech while the high-pitched voice did the same over the low-pitched voice. Second, there was no statistically significant difference between B1 and B2 in the speaking styles. B1 was generally lower than B2 reflecting the source spectrum and radiation effect. However, there was a statistically significant difference in B2 between the front and back vowel groups. The author concluded that spectral characteristics reflect speaking styles systematically while bandwidths measured at a few formant frequency points do not reveal style differences properly.

Vote Choice, Ideology, and Social Dominance Orientation Influence Preferences for Lower Pitched Voices in Political Candidates.

Humans are equipped with a psychological system of followership that evolved to regulate choices of leaders based partly on would-be leaders' physiological features. One such feature is voice pitch, which is determined by the physiology of the throat. Recent studies find that political candidates in modern elections with lower-pitched voices are generally more successful. As lower-pitched voices are perceived as stronger and more dominant, these findings have been taken to indicate a general preference for dispositional abilities in leaders to protect and prevail in conflicts. Here we extend upon these findings by demonstrating that conservatives and Republicans tend to view the world as much more competitive and threatening than liberals and Democrats. We utilize two existing data sources to show that political candidates with lower-pitched voices are preferred more among conservative Republicans than among liberal Democrats. In a third study we show that preferences for lower-pitched candidate voices stem from individual differences in Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). Importantly, across all three studies subjects' party affiliation, ideology, and SDO only predict preferences for male candidate voices. We conclude with a discussion of the results in relation to followership psychology and general debates on the rationality of the public with respect to elections.

Perceptions of Competence, Strength, and Age Influence Voters to Select Leaders with Lower-Pitched Voices.

Voters prefer leaders with lower-pitched voices because they are perceived as stronger, having greater physical prowess, more competent, and having greater integrity. An alternative hypothesis that has yet to be tested is that lower-pitched voices are perceived as older and thus wiser and more experienced. Here the relationships between candidate voice pitch, candidate age, and electoral success are examined with two experiments. Study 1 tests whether voters discriminate on candidate age. The results show that male and female candidates in their 40s and 50s, the time in the lifecycle when voice pitch is at its lowest, are preferred over candidates in their 30s, 60s, and 70s. Study 2 shows that the preference for leaders with lower-pitched voices correlates with the perception that speakers with lower voices are stronger, more competent, and older, but the influence of perception of age on vote choice is the weakest of the three.

Candidate Voice Pitch Influences Election Outcomes

A growing literature in psychology shows that human voice pitch—perceived “highness” or “lowness” as determined by the physiology of the throat—influences how speakers are perceived. This leads to the prediction that candidate voice pitch influences voters. Here this question is addressed with two studies. The first is an experiment conducted with a large national sample of U.S. adults. The results show that men and women prefer to vote for male and female candidates with lower pitched voices. The second study examines the outcomes of the 2012 U.S. House elections. When facing male opponents, candidates with lower voices won a larger vote share. However, when facing female opponents, candidates with higher voices were more successful and particularly so in the case of male candidates. In synthesizing research on the human voice and voter behavior and triangulating evidence from a controlled experiment and a large observational study of actual elections, this article illustrates that candidate voice pitch influences election outcomes.

Mares prefer the voices of highly fertile stallions.

We investigated the possibility that stallion whinnies, known to encode caller size, also encoded information about caller arousal and fertility, and the reactions of mares in relation to type of voice. Voice acoustic features are correlated with arousal and reproduction success, the lower-pitched the stallion’s voice, the slower his heart beat and the higher his fertility. Females from three study groups preferred playbacks of low-pitched voices. Hence, females are attracted by frequencies encoding for large male size, calmness and high fertility. More work is needed to explore the relative importance of morpho-physiological features. Assortative mating may be involved as large females preferred voices of larger stallions. Our study contributes to basic and applied ongoing research on mammal reproduction, and questions the mechanisms used by females to detect males’ fertility.

A prospective randomized controlled trial of the laryngeal mask airway versus the endotracheal intubation in the thyroid surgery: evaluation of postoperative voice, and laryngopharyngeal symptom.

The present study was performed to determine whether thyroidectomy patients undergoing general anesthesia provided with a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) have a lower risk of voice-related complications and laryngopharyngeal symptoms than those undergoing endotracheal intubation (ETI). In a prospective, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial, we studied 64 patients undergoing elective thyroid lobectomy between July 2013 and February 2014. Acoustic analyses were performed preoperatively and at 48 h and 2 weeks postoperatively. The voice handicap index (VHI), M.D. Anderson dysphagia index (MDADI), and laryngopharyngeal symptom score (LPS) were determined preoperatively and at 24 h, 48 h, 1 week, and 2 weeks post-thyroidectomy. In acoustic analysis, jitter, shimmer and noise-to-harmonic ratio showed significantly better results in the LMA group than the ETI group 48 h after surgery, but there was no difference at 2 weeks. The incidence of postoperative lower-pitched voice in the LMA group was also significantly lower than that in the ETI group. In the LMA group, the VHI, MDADI, and LPS were better compared to those in the ETI group at 24 h postoperatively, and improved to the preoperative state within 1 week. However, those in the ETI group remained poorer than the preoperative values 1 week after surgery. Use of the LMA in general anesthesia for thyroid surgery has advantages over the ETI in decreasing patients' subjective and objective voice symptoms, reducing the duration of symptoms, and relieving the laryngopharyngeal symptoms.