It’s a feature that many women find attractive, but if your partner has a deep voice, they may be more likely to cheat on you. Researchers from Southwest University in Chongqing, China claim that the pitch of a man’s voice may be used to predict infidelity intention. In the study, the team studied 116 male students and 145 female students who were in relatively short relationships. The participants were recorded saying the same phrases, allowing the researchers to assess the depth of their voice. They were also asked how likely they were to cheat when in a relationship.
An analysis of the results revealed that men with deep voices were the most likely to cheat. However, the pitch of a woman’s voice was not linked to her likelihood of being unfaithful. In their study, published in Personality and Individual Differences, the researchers, led by Jing Zhang, said: “Our findings demonstrated that masculine men are more likely to engage in infidelity and commit less to their romantic relationships compared with feminine men. However, this effect did not exist in women.”
While the reason for this remains unclear, the researchers have several possible theories. They added: “This result might suggest that masculine voices and infidelity development in men have the same biological basis, that is, they are influenced by testosterone levels. Another probable reason that men with masculine voices have a stronger intention to commit infidelity and positive attitudes toward infidelity is increased access to mates.
“Masculine voices among males are significantly associated with long-term health and social dominance, and are more likely to be perceived as attaining higher social positions, all of which were valuable for women during evolutionary history.
“Given that, the relationship between men’s vocal characteristics and infidelity intentions is more likely to be mediated by increased access to women. It is necessary for future studies to explore this relationship.”