Why Men Are Attracted to a Deep Voice No Matter What the Psychologists Say!

It seems that studies done on the speaking voice say that men prefer women with higher-pitched voices. These studies report that men ‘see’ women with higher-pitched voices as being younger and thinner.

I beg to differ! In all the movie in which the directors specifically want an attractive (and yes, sensual) sound, they don’t choose high-pitched voices for the roles.

When it comes to the speaking voice, those which are most appealing to your ear tend to be deeper in pitch. Think of Elizabeth Hurley, Sharon Stone, Angelina Jolie, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Green, Charlize Theron, Felicia Rashad, and of course, Kathleen Turner (in her younger days). All of these voices have a depth and breadth that you do not hear with the likes of Fran Drescher or Rosie O’Donnell.

Drescher and O’Donnell exhibit a great deal of nasality which gives their voices a higher sound in pitch because of how the sound is produced – through the nose. [Incidentally, pitch refers to the highness or lowness of sound. Volume, on the other hand, deals with the loudness or softness.]

All great speaking voices have one identifying characteristic in common: warmth. Warmth is the result of the resonance being produced by the chest cavity. When you hear former new jou
alist Diane Sawyer speak, it is like a blanket around your shoulders. It is an enveloping sound. High-pitched voices, on the other hand, do not have that capacity. They lack not only depth but breadth or fullness as well and tend to pierce through the air instead of resound.

I liken a higher-pitched, nasal voice to that of an ill-tuned violin. It squawks or squeaks; whereas, a voice which has good resonance is more akin to the warm vibrations of a cello.

If you are not using your chest as your primary sounding board, then the pitch of your voice is most likely higher than it should be. Once you discover your optimum range, you will find the pitch of your voice dropping to some degree. It may be a mere ½ step or it could be several steps lower. But that drop in pitch powered by your chest cavity will make all the difference in just how good you can sound.

And, if you are soft-spoken or too loud, you will find your volume adjusting to a 'normal' level once you find your 'real' voice.

You, too, can have a deeper, warmer, resonant sound if you are willing to break some old habits and instill some new ones.