Having a pitch like Barry White isn’t evolved to attract women but to dominate other males indicated by a new study, which included humans and a variety of primates in its trial. David A. Puts, associate professor of anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, said, “We wanted to determine if sexual selection had produced sex differences in humans and closely related species,” according to an Economic Times report.
A deeper voice suggests physical aggression and status and appears to lend competitive advantages in fighting or intimidating other threats rather than a trait that attracts women. Puts also said,”We find that masculine traits in humans are not the same as, say, in peacocks where the beautiful tail attracts a mate.”
And researchers discovered that the bass in women’s voices didn’t affect how attractive they were perceived by men. Deeper male voices, however, were determined to be more attractive by women. The study was originally published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
In addition, in men with low levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, a higher level of testosterone was attributed to a deeper voice. “Men who have higher testosterone and lower cortisol have a stronger immune response,” Puts said.
Researchers explored the associations of voice pitch with mating behaviors and dominance among males only. They observed the spectrum of anthropoid primates—gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans—that relate most with humans.