Tone of Voice That Boosts Chances of Securing Funds, According to Psychologists
In a groundbreaking study published in the British Journal of Psychology, researchers led by Jillian J. M. O’Connor have found that a higher-pitched voice tends to inspire more trust and generosity in economic contexts. Contrary to the common belief that a low voice inspires more trust, this study suggests that higher-pitched voices are perceived as more financially trustworthy, independent of the level of financial risk involved.
The research involved 118 students who listened to 48 voices altered in pitch. Participants made decisions about whom to transfer money to based solely on the sound of the voice. The findings revealed that participants favoured partners with higher-pitched voices, regardless of the risk level in the economic trust games.
The study suggests that the pitch of the voice influences perceptions of financial trustworthiness. Higher pitch signalled trust, independent of the speaker’s inclination to take financial risks. The underlying reasons may relate to how vocal pitch conveys social and psychological cues. Higher-pitched voices can sound less threatening, more approachable, or signal positive traits that influence trustworthiness judgments.
In contrast, lower-pitched voices, although sometimes viewed as more generally trustworthy or risk-taking, did not elicit the same level of financial trust and generosity in the experimental economic games. A high voice was associated with childlike naivety and readiness to cooperate, while a low voice was perceived as more risk-prone by participants when giving evaluations.
Interestingly, the gender of the speaker and the size of potential loss did not affect the preference for higher-pitched voices. This indicates that the pitch of the voice, rather than the speaker’s gender or the potential financial risk, plays a significant role in shaping perceptions of financial trustworthiness.
In summary, higher-pitched voices tend to elicit greater trust and generosity in economic contexts because they are perceived as more financially trustworthy and socially approachable, influencing people’s willingness to be generous in trust-based interactions. This research opens up new avenues for understanding the role of vocal cues in shaping economic decisions and trust-based interactions.
[1] O’Connor, J. J. M. (2022). The pitch of voice and financial trustworthiness: An investigation of vocal cues in economic games. British Journal of Psychology, 113(3), 457–473.
[2] O’Connor, J. J. M. (2022). The pitch of voice and financial trustworthiness: An investigation of vocal cues in economic games. British Journal of Psychology, 113(3), 457–473.
- This groundbreaking study suggests that in the realm of personal-finance and economic trust games, a higher-pitched voice can inspire more financial trust and generosity, contrary to the common assumption that low voices are more trustworthy.
- The findings of the study, published in the British Journal of Psychology, indicate that participants favored partners with higher-pitched voices, disregarding the financial risk level involved, highlighting the influence of vocal pitch on perceptions of financial trustworthiness.
- The research on health-and-wellness and mental-health aspects of vocal pitch discovered that higher-pitched voices can sound less threatening, more approachable, and signal positive traits that influence trustworthiness judgments, hence eliciting greater trust and generosity.
- Although lower-pitched voices are sometimes viewed as generally trustworthy or risk-taking, they did not elicit the same level of financial trust and generosity in the experimental economic games, as compared to higher-pitched voices, which were associated with childlike naivety and readiness to cooperate.
