Men with deep voices have more kids than high-pitched counterparts: Tanzania study - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

crystals · 09-27-2007, 01:07 PM

Written by: Lauren La Rose, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Sep. 24, 2007

TORONTO - Men, how low can you go?

Your voice, that is. As you hear yourself answer the question aloud, does the response come out Pee Wee Herman-squeaky or Barry White baritone smooth?

Studies suggest the pitch level of a man's voice could have an impact on his appeal to the opposite sex, with new research indicating women wanting to have children may favour a mate with more huskiness in his speech.

In previous studies conducted by a team of researchers, including McMaster University professor David Feinberg, women were shown to find men with deeper voices to be more attractive, deeming them more dominant, older, healthier and more masculine-sounding.

This was determined after subjects heard voices in which the pitch had been manipulated and had to rate them on a scale of what was judged as most and least attractive.

On the flipside, men judged women with higher-pitched voices to be more attractive, subordinate, feminine, healthier and younger-sounding.

Yet a more recent study found men with lower voices had greater reproductive success and more children born to them, Feinberg said.

Feinberg and his colleague, Coren Apicella, an anthropology graduate student at Harvard University, selected members of the Hadza of Tanzania as subjects for the new study, to be published in Biology Letters on Wednesday. The tribe is among the last remaining hunter-gatherer cultures and has no modern birth control. The men were asked how many children they had had, both living and deceased.

Apicella and Feinberg later listened to the recordings run through a computer algorithm to detect voice pitch, measuring the results against another set of numbers tracking reproductive success for the entire group.

"What we noticed was that men with lower-pitched voices tended to have more babies than men with higher-pitched voices did, and we thought, 'OK, is this because men with higher-pitched voices, their babies aren't really surviving, or is it because men with lower-pitched voices are having more babies?"' said Feinberg, an assistant professor in psychology, neuroscience and behaviour at McMaster in Hamilton.

It's more likely men with lower-pitched voices can find more women than their high-pitched counterparts, rather than the possibility that men with higher-pitched voices are having their children die at younger ages, the findings suggest.

Pitch level is measured in hertz (Hz), a measurement of fundamental frequency of the voice, how many cycles per second the sound wave has in it, Feinberg said. While decibels are measured relative to a reference noise, hertz is an absolute scale, like Celsius, he added.

Feinberg said the average man's voice is at 120 Hz, and ranges from 90-160, while women's voices are a full octave higher, ranging from 180-280 Hz. Babies are generally in the 300-500 Hz range.

The findings don't imply that voice pitch is a determining factor in how many children you'll have, Feinberg said.

"We just correlate the number of children you have with the voice pitch," he said. "We won't know, say, 100 Hz means five babies, 160 Hz means one baby."

"It's not that there's a sort of absolute number that predicts an absolute voice frequency that predicts how many children you're going to have. It's more likely that within a certain range, men with lower-pitched voices on average are going to have more babies than men with higher-pitched voices will."

Feinberg said if ancestors went through a similar process, it could count as one reason for the differences in men's and women's voices.

http://health.lifestyle.yahoo.ca/cha...0&channel_id=0

catlover79 · 09-27-2007, 01:37 PM

Somehow, that didn't surprise me.

I can just hear Barry White now: "Hey baby, the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice."

Ireneparalegal · 09-27-2007, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

Somehow, that didn't surprise me.

I can just hear Barry White now: "Hey baby, the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice."

Yeah, have you seen the guys with high-pitched voices?

Max Whittaker · 09-27-2007, 02:23 PM

Well! I guess that settles it! I might as well crawl into a cave and wither away....

Studies are getting annoying.

Seth · 09-27-2007, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max Whittaker

Studies are getting annoying.

Personally, this is one of my favorite studies to come along in some time.

Zoneboy · 09-27-2007, 02:38 PM

So that's Jim Bob Dugger's secret.

Zoneboy · 09-27-2007, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max Whittaker

Well! I guess that settles it! I might as well crawl into a cave and wither away....

Studies are getting annoying.

Yeah, Someone should do a study on annoying studies.

Zoneboy · 09-27-2007, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

Yeah, have you seen the guys with high-pitched voices?

TJL · 09-27-2007, 06:32 PM

This explains why Mickey and Minnie are still childless after all this time...

catlover79 · 09-27-2007, 08:03 PM

Hollow · 09-27-2007, 08:06 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_9J1teiRKw

TJL · 09-27-2007, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by safety pin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_9J1teiRKw

Ouch! I don't think I'll be able to have kids after listening to that guy!

09-27-2007, 01:07 PM	#1
crystals Senior Member Member Join Date: Feb 02, 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 1,816	Men with deep voices have more kids than high-pitched counterparts: Tanzania study Written by: Lauren La Rose, THE CANADIAN PRESS Sep. 24, 2007 TORONTO - Men, how low can you go? Your voice, that is. As you hear yourself answer the question aloud, does the response come out Pee Wee Herman-squeaky or Barry White baritone smooth? Studies suggest the pitch level of a man's voice could have an impact on his appeal to the opposite sex, with new research indicating women wanting to have children may favour a mate with more huskiness in his speech. In previous studies conducted by a team of researchers, including McMaster University professor David Feinberg, women were shown to find men with deeper voices to be more attractive, deeming them more dominant, older, healthier and more masculine-sounding. This was determined after subjects heard voices in which the pitch had been manipulated and had to rate them on a scale of what was judged as most and least attractive. On the flipside, men judged women with higher-pitched voices to be more attractive, subordinate, feminine, healthier and younger-sounding. Yet a more recent study found men with lower voices had greater reproductive success and more children born to them, Feinberg said. Feinberg and his colleague, Coren Apicella, an anthropology graduate student at Harvard University, selected members of the Hadza of Tanzania as subjects for the new study, to be published in Biology Letters on Wednesday. The tribe is among the last remaining hunter-gatherer cultures and has no modern birth control. The men were asked how many children they had had, both living and deceased. Apicella and Feinberg later listened to the recordings run through a computer algorithm to detect voice pitch, measuring the results against another set of numbers tracking reproductive success for the entire group. "What we noticed was that men with lower-pitched voices tended to have more babies than men with higher-pitched voices did, and we thought, 'OK, is this because men with higher-pitched voices, their babies aren't really surviving, or is it because men with lower-pitched voices are having more babies?"' said Feinberg, an assistant professor in psychology, neuroscience and behaviour at McMaster in Hamilton. It's more likely men with lower-pitched voices can find more women than their high-pitched counterparts, rather than the possibility that men with higher-pitched voices are having their children die at younger ages, the findings suggest. Pitch level is measured in hertz (Hz), a measurement of fundamental frequency of the voice, how many cycles per second the sound wave has in it, Feinberg said. While decibels are measured relative to a reference noise, hertz is an absolute scale, like Celsius, he added. Feinberg said the average man's voice is at 120 Hz, and ranges from 90-160, while women's voices are a full octave higher, ranging from 180-280 Hz. Babies are generally in the 300-500 Hz range. The findings don't imply that voice pitch is a determining factor in how many children you'll have, Feinberg said. "We just correlate the number of children you have with the voice pitch," he said. "We won't know, say, 100 Hz means five babies, 160 Hz means one baby." "It's not that there's a sort of absolute number that predicts an absolute voice frequency that predicts how many children you're going to have. It's more likely that within a certain range, men with lower-pitched voices on average are going to have more babies than men with higher-pitched voices will." Feinberg said if ancestors went through a similar process, it could count as one reason for the differences in men's and women's voices. http://health.lifestyle.yahoo.ca/cha...0&channel_id=0 __________________ The man who lends a helping hand is the true hero.

09-27-2007, 01:37 PM	#2
catlover79 Moderator Forum Legend God Bless Val Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 67,635	Somehow, that didn't surprise me. I can just hear Barry White now: "Hey baby, the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice." __________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

09-27-2007, 02:38 PM	#6
Zoneboy Moderator Forum Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: Carthage, NC Posts: 22,549	So that's Jim Bob Dugger's secret. __________________ *"It's the way things are. A big tree falls and a new one grows right out of the same ground. Old animals die and young ones take their places. Even people step aside when it's time."* (R.G. Armstrong as the Contractor in The Twilight Zone episode "Nothing in the Dark")

09-27-2007, 06:32 PM	#9
TJL Forum Veteran Suburbanite Extrordinaire Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,353	This explains why Mickey and Minnie are still childless after all this time... __________________ "I think I'll stroll up to the front to see how the shooting's going..." - Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce Read my blogs! http://centralparkamisguide.com/ http://dvdcriticscorner.com Visit me on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=641138880 Hey, I do the tweet thing too! http://twitter.com/TomLevier My shop of handmade items! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColdGarageCreations

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09-27-2007, 02:23 PM	#4
Max Whittaker Senior Member I want Serenity back Join Date: Apr 30, 2001 Posts: 6,150	Well! I guess that settles it! I might as well crawl into a cave and wither away.... Studies are getting annoying.

09-27-2007, 08:03 PM	#10
catlover79 Moderator Forum Legend God Bless Val Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 67,635	^

09-27-2007, 08:06 PM	#11
Hollow Forum Celebrity Member Join Date: Dec 16, 2001 Posts: 30,234	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_9J1teiRKw