The Hyacinth effect, or why we speak posh on the phone
MORE than a third of people change their voice when they are on the phone, a survey suggests.
And nearly half of those admit they are trying to sound more wellspoken – like Hyacinth Bucket in 1990s BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, who pronounced her surname Bouquet.
Three in ten change their voice because they want to sound more intelligent, and 10 per cent want to sound more fun, according to the nationwide survey of 2,000 people.
Nearly one in ten said they change their voice without realising it, but are made aware by others.
Clients, work colleagues and strangers are among the people that those surveyed often change the way they speak for.
About a fifth said they automatically alter their voice when answering a number that they do not recognise, while just under a fifth said their regional accent comes through more strongly on the phone.
People in Scotland are particularly likely to change their voice, t he r esearch suggests. Nearly half of people surveyed in Aberdeen said they do so when they are on the phone. Sheffield residents, meanwhile, were the least likely to change their voice, with six in ten saying they do not do this – although a fifth said that when they do, it is to sound more local. Norwich residents feel the most pressure to sound intelligent, the survey suggests, with 52 per cent who change their voice admitting that is their intention. About a fifth of people in London who change their voice do this to sound more fun, and a quarter of people in the North East and North West of England said they do not realise they change their voice when on the phone but they are told this by other people. When it comes to voices people aspire to sound like, Sir David Attenborough was voted the favourite celebrity voice, closely followed by Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley and then Luther actor Idris Elba. The survey was conducted by the bank Santander UK.