The human voice paints powerful pictures in the minds of listeners – just listen to some of public radio’s distinctive voices …have you ever imagined what they look like or what kind of person they might be?
Your voice is your auditory face, says a researcher at the UCLA Voice Perception Laboratory, one of the groups studying the effects of the voice on sexual allure, political credentials and even earning potential. Vocal qualities perceived as attractive have been selected through evolutionary history, but also respond to cultural cues…aspiring captains of industry, media, politicians like Margaret Thatcher for example, have gone to great lengths to better match their voices to their desired public image. Tiffany O’Callaghan, opinion editor at New Scientist, wrote about the subtle – and often inaccurate – ways the voice influences perception.
