Voices speak volumes

SING-SONG voices are more trustworthy than a monotone drawl, a study has revealed.

Scientists at the University of Glasgow used computer modelling to generate synthetic voices to gauge how trustworthy they appear to a listener.

The more monotone a voice sounds the less trustworthy it is perceived, while a more “sing-song” voice gives the listener a good impression of the speaker.

The findings, published in the Public Library of Science, could open the door to a new voice personality that could ensure you make the best first impression every time.

The researchers say this could have applications from everything from your car’s SatNav to automated telephone banking. It could also be used to help those people who have lost their voices through illness or injury by creating new artificial voice boxes with personality.

Professor Pascal Belin, the study’s lead author, said: “These results demonstrate that there is a strong acoustical basis to our voice personality impression.

“Our results were obtained with trustworthiness but there is no reason why it should not work with other personality traits.

“We now have a powerful way to generate voices eliciting the desired personality impressions, with many potential applications in modified or artificial voices”.