To quote the rap lyrics of yore, pimpin' certainly ain't easy. But, according to a new study published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, ladies may now have an advantage over men in the love game. What gives? Women can alter their voices to be sexier — something fellas cannot do.
In the study, women were instructed to "speak as if they were trying to impress someone with whom they were romantically interested." Almost all the ladies adopted a lower, husky tone (think Phoebe singing "Sticky Shoes"). And, it worked. Susan Hughes, the Albright College psychology professor who lead the study, goes so far as to say that a sexy voice in a woman can "predict attractive body and face characteristics."
Unfortunately, when men tried a similar technique, it only repelled the women in the study. We imagine that's because they all just started talking like Ron Burgundy. Hughes says the guys do have a small trick, however. She found that men are better able to sound confident to a female audience. And, coming off cocksure might have just as powerful an effect as a woman's ability to alter her intonation.
Hughes' experiment has some interesting results, to be sure. It just fails to mention the fact that you actually have to work up the courage to talk to someone in the first place before any steamy sounds can commence. Pimpin' ain't easy, indeed. (Nerve)