NEW MOMS LOWER THEIR VOICES
New mothers naturally adopt a deeper voice after giving birth to assert their authority, a new study suggests.
Scientists at the University of Sussex in the U.K. carried out a long-term study of women before, during and after a first pregnancy and found their voices lowered in pitch more than a semitone, the smallest interval between the keys on a piano.
The study sample included 20 mothers as well as 20 age-matched controls who had never given birth.
Researchers believe the drop, which appeared to revert to the original pitch after 12 months, may be a subconscious response to becoming a mother for the first time and the need to express authority.
Alternatively, the change may be the result of the significant hormonal changes that take place after birth.