How a woman’s voice inspires men to risk their lives: new research

There’s science behind the irresistible siren call.

From the peacock’s majestic mating dance to the Trojan war, men will do some pretty silly things to impress a woman, but the lengths to which they’ll go to lock down their lady love also depends on her alluring abilities, new research suggests.

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A study published in Personality and Individual Differences found that men are more willing to be lured into danger for women with a high-pitched voice, but only if she’s into that. Further tests revealed that when women seemed disinterested in risk-taking behavior, men tended to play more safe.

We see it all the time. Elaborate proposals of marriage. Dangerous TikTok challenges. “The Bachelorette.” Evolutionary theory holds that men who are willing to go out on a limb for a woman signals higher quality genes and thus a more viable mating partner, but where they draw the line might depend also on the woman’s wifey material.

Previous study of female attractiveness related to vocal pitch has revealed a preference among men for women with a bubbly high register as opposed to those who speak in sultry low tones. In the new study, researchers in China took these findings one step further by asking to what extent men will seek such women.

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They conducted two experiments asked young adult Chinese males to participate in hypothetical scenarios in virtual reality in which they were asked to take cues from a female voice with a high or low-pitched voice. The first test involved a driving simulation featuring a female voice for driving navigation and the choice either slow down or run through a yellow traffic light.

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The second test upped the virtual ante. Two groups of heterosexual men were assigned to listen to a marketing pitch from a woman’s voice with either a high or low pitch. After the spiel, they rated the orator’s voice on attractiveness. Next, the male participants were given statements regarding women’s preferences. Each man received one of two memos: that women want men who are “brave, strong, healthy, sports-loving and masculine” or “patient, family-oriented, kind, attentive and mature” — one designed to encourage risky behavior and the other to discourage.

Finally, these men donned their virtual reality gear and instructed to walk a three-meter plank that was suspended off a digital high-rise. The speed at which they completed the task was considered a measure of their risk-taking behavior.

Results of both tests indicated that men were inspired to take great risks under the charms of a high-pitched female voice. However, male participants who were told that women preferred safe men during the second experiment was the only scenario in which the high-pitched female voice had no association with riskier male behavior.

“The study demonstrates that individual psychology and behavior are influenced not only by evolutionary factors but also significantly by the socio-cultural context of their development. Male risk-taking behavior exhibits situational sensitivity and results from both natural and cultural adaptations,” study authors concluded in their report.

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