Think You Sound Confident and in Control? Your Voice Says Otherwise.

Turns out you use different pitches with different types of people. It's a matter of dominance.

Have you ever walked away from an important conversation and thought, “Wow, I didn’t sound like myself at all back there”?

You’re not alone. A recent psychological study by researchers from the University of Stirling, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found that people change their vocal pitch depending on who they’re speaking to. The researchers simulated job interview questions and observed that participants altered their vocal characteristics (especially pitch) in response to people of different social status.

"A deep, masculine voice sounds dominant, especially in men, while the opposite is true of a higher pitched voice,” said Dr. Viktoria Mileva, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Stirling, in a summary of the findings. “So, if someone perceives their interviewer to be more dominant than them, they raise their pitch. This may be a signal of submissiveness, to show the listener that you are not a threat, and to avoid possible confrontations.” Read more

Lydia Belanger - Entrepreneur - 30 June 2017