Deep-Voiced Men Are More Likely to Cheat, According to This Study

There’s something inherently ‘sexy’ and smart about a deep, husky voice. Famous men including James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Sean Connery, Vin Diesel and more have skyrocketed to global notoriety for their rich, silky pipes. However, having a deep voice doesn’t automatically make you a nice guy. In fact, a new study has found that deep voices go hand-in-hand with infidelity.

In a study involving hundreds of students, researchers at Southwest University in China recorded participants saying the same phrase to assess the depth of their voice. Then, they were asked how likely they would cheat in a relationship.

Are men with deep voices less faithful?

The results showed that men with deep voices were the most likely to cheat. “The result might suggest that masculine voices and infidelity development in men have the same biological basis, that is, they are influenced by testosterone levels,” lead researcher Jing Zhang said.

Zhang added that deeper voices may be “associated with long-term health and social dominance, and are more likely to be perceived as attaining higher social positions, all of which were valuable for women during evolutionary history.”

“Given that, the relationship between men’s vocal characteristics and infidelity intentions is more likely to be mediated by increased access to women. It is necessary for future studies to explore this relationship.”

Researchers also studied a large group of women, but unlike the men, found no correlation between the pitch of female voices and their likelihood of cheating.

Perhaps the key learning here is if you don’t have the low bass tone voice of someone like Barry White, never fear. Your voicemail message may not sound as cool, but according to science, you’ve got loyalty on your side.

This article on deep voices and cheating habits has been updated since its original publish date.