Gouden Keeltjes De invloed van spreektempo en grondfrequentie op de beoordeling van aantrekkelijkheid

Abstract

In speech, there are two forms of sexual dimorphism: men tend to speak faster and they have lower voices. This is a disadvantageous combination in the light of natural selection, and it is therefore possibly caused by female mate choice, a mechanism in sexual selection. To test this thesis, this research investigates the influence of pitch and speech rate on the subjective rating of attractiveness of men by women. For the experiment, 24 male voices were manipulated for their speech rate and fundamental frequency. 124 women were asked to rate the attractiveness of these men, once on the basis of their normal voice and once with their voice having been manipulated: i.e. with fundamental frequency, speech rate, or both, shifted up and down. Results indicate that a higher speech rate and lower fundamental frequency do not affect the rating of attractiveness. However, lower speech rate and high voices negatively affect women’s ratings. These findings do not reject nor confirm the hypothesis that men’s lower voices and faster speech rates are caused by female mate choice. It may be possible that fundamental frequency and speech rate have been influenced by female mate choice in the past, but this evolution may have come to an end.