Our voice can indicate when someone finds us attractive.
The nonverbal language that denotes sexual interest can also be reflected in the way our voice is intoned.
A variety of research indicates how we nonverbally (and how we non-verbally (and involuntarily) communicate when we are attracted to someone. For example, exposing the neck or the inside of the arms indicates interest, while crossing the arms does not.
However, not all of these discreet signals have to do with our posture and facial expressions. According to research, there is also something else that gives us away. It is the voice, something we constantly use during flirting, whenever we dare to say something to that person who catches our attention.
The voice and its link to sexual attraction
There are many ways to explain the logic behind our tastes when it comes to finding a mate, and one of the most talked about in psychology is based on Evolutionary Psychology.
This perspective focuses on the way in which evolution has been shaping the genetics that most human beings share and the way in which this influences how we behave. Reproductive behavior, in particular, receives a great deal of attention by these researchers, since the strategies we use to find a mate and procreate have direct effects on genes.
In the case of voice, it is believed that one of the reasons why men's voice is deeper is because the genes behind this trait have been selected more often in women's reproductive strategies. That is to say, that in men, a deep voice is attractive and that is why those who have it are more likely to have offspring (perhaps because this kind of sounds are associated with large and, therefore, strong animals). In the case of women, the opposite happens: in general, those with a higher-pitched voice are more attractive.
On the other hand, there is also data indicating a curious phenomenon: people with a more active sex life have voices that are more attractive. In this research, several volunteers of both sexes were asked to rate the degree to which their voices were more attractive. were asked to rate the degree to which they were attracted to voices recorded on sound recorded on sound recordings. Using this information and cross-referencing it with reports on the sex lives of the people who gave their voices for the experiment, this strange pattern of behavior was detected.
Adjusting our voice to others
We have already seen that voice is related to sexual preferences, but... how does it influence flirting once it has begun? This is a pertinent question, since the voice is not only used to influence the attractiveness of potential partners; we also tend to use it to make others like us more, even if we don't realize it. And this can be used to detect sexual or romantic interest that someone may express towards us. that someone may express towards us.
The key is to pay attention to the way in which our interlocutor adapts his or her voice to resemble our own. This phenomenon called phonetic convergenceoccurs unconsciously almost every time we talk to someone we are attracted to.
Both the rhythm of speech and the intonation and tone are modified to emulate that of the other person, so that the other person feels comfortable in the conversation by feeling "in his or her comfort zone". On the other hand, the opposite happens when we talk to someone we do not like: we emphasize the properties of our voice that do not resemble those of the other person.
Moreover, this tendency to change the way we speak occurs on a small scale during the first few minutes we talk to someone, but also continues days and even weeks later. For example, research found that months after moving in together for the first time, several roommates tended to speak in a much more similar way than they had during their first day together. Moreover, the degree to which their voices matched each other's correlated with the degree to which each felt close to the other.
Part of the chameleon effect
Phonetic convergence can be understood as part of the chameleon effect, a tendency by which all our nonverbal language adapts to that of the interlocutor. our non-verbal language adapts to the interlocutor's languageThis is usually done unconsciously, usually when there is a climate of attraction or emotional closeness (or we want to reach it).
For example, some salespeople pay attention to the postures of their potential customers and imitate them, or try to make the speed at which they speak approximate that of the other person.
Conclusion
So, to find out if someone likes you, you can always you can always pay attention to the way their way of speaking evolves during the first few minutes of conversation. during the first few minutes of conversation. On the other hand, if you are interested in that person, you can also try to voluntarily modify your way of expressing yourself so that the rhythms and sounds that make up your voice mimic that person's voice.
(Updated at Apr 13 / 2024)