Forget about cleavage and that little black dress, according to a recent report on Oprah.com, men like a woman with a high-pitched voice.
In an experiment conducted by researchers at the State University of New York at Albany, 10 men were asked to rate the attractiveness of 10 female voices. All the men preferred the higher-pitched voices, which, apparently, is an unconscious indication of fertility. So sorry girls, those breast implants and super impressive cleavage may all be in vain.
Monique Rissen-Harrisberg, CEO and founder of The Voice Clinic, details several ways to tame a pitched voice or a nasal sounding pitch and how good vocal qualities will help to set you apart from the rest, be it in the work-place or on a date.
“Your voice is a combination of pitch, pace and pause. Pitch is how high or low the frequency of your voice is when you speak. Yes, higher pitched voices are perceived as being more feminine but in the business world, they can also be perceived as being less authoritative, less credible and sometimes, just plain irritating. One the other hand, people who speak with a rich, resonant voice in the lower frequencies are generally perceived to be more convincing and sincere,” she said.
She adds that perhaps some men find the high-pitch more appealing because it indicates a lack of strength, confidence and empowerment, sending a message that the woman will be subservient and pliable.
Rissen-Harrisberg says that there are several ways to tame a pitched voice or a nasal sounding pitch.
“You can do exercises to strengthen your neck muscles and relax the larynx so that your voice box is conditioned for creating voice that is deeper and more powerful.
“Voice training can also help you develop a more flexible vocal tone using proper breathing diaphragm techniques and a selection of vocal exercises to achieve a more flexible and varied tone. A quick tip to get you started is practise breathing ‘mindfully’. This means breathe deeply, from your abdomen not your chest. In this way your voice will come from the stomach and will be projected out rich and resonant.”
Another tip is to slow down your speech to generate a more powerful tone.
“At the end of the day, a husky yet still feminine voice is more sexy and appealing. Good vocal qualities will help to set you apart and sounding sincere and confident starts with learning to use your voice to its full advantage,” concludes Rissen-Harrisberg. – Ridge Correspondent
The Voice Clinic offers free voice assessments. On the web.
Durban: 031 303 1314
2 Comments
well as a singer with low voice and cleavage I have never had any complaints!! haha! Melanie Roberts
Nice one Melanie. How was The Night of 100 Stars. Saw the pics in the papers, looked like a good bash.