The voice can indicate when someone finds us attractive

There is a variety of research that indicates the way in which we communicate non-verbally (and inadvertently) when someone attracts us. For example, exposing the neck or the inside of the arms indicates interest, while crossing the arms does not.

However, not all these discreet signals have to do with the position we adopt or with the gestures of the face. According to an investigation, there is also something else that gives us away. It is about the voice, something that we constantly use during flirting, whenever we dare to say something to that person that catches our attention.

• Related article: "The 6 signs that show physical attraction to another person"

The voice and its link to sexual attraction

There are many ways to explain the logic behind our tastes when it comes to find a partner, and one of the most talked about in psychology is that part of Psychology Evolutionist.

This perspective focuses on the way in which evolution has shaped the genetics that most human beings share and the way in which it influences how we behave.

Reproductive behavior, in particular, receives a lot of attention by these researchers, since the strategies we use to find a partner and procreate have direct effects on the genes.

In the case of the voice, it is believed that one of the reasons why the voice of men is more serious is because the genes that are behind this trait have been selected more times in the reproductive strategies of the women. That is in men the deep voice is attractive and that is why those who possess it are more likely to have offspring (perhaps because this class of sounds is associated with large and, therefore, loud animals). In the case of women, the opposite occurs: generally, those with the highest voices are more attractive.

On the other hand also there is data They indicate a curious phenomenon: people with a more active sex life have voices that are more attractive. In this research, several volunteers of both genders they had to rate the degree to which they were attracted to voices that had been recorded in sound recordings. Using this information and crossing it with the reports on the sexual life of the people who gave their voice for the experiment, this strange pattern of behavior was detected.

• You may be interested: "The power of looking into each other's eyes: playing with the laws of attraction"

Adjusting our voice to others

We have already seen that the voice is related to sexual preferences, but... how does it influence flirting once it has started? It is a pertinent question, since the voice not only serves to influence the assessment of the attractiveness of potential partners; Furthermore, we usually use it to make others like it more, even if we don't realize it. And that can be used to detect sexual or romantic interest that someone can express towards us.

The key is to look at the way in which our interlocutor adapts her voice so that it resembles ours. This phenomenon, called phonetic convergence, It happens unconsciously almost every time we talk to someone who attracts us.

Both the rhythm of speech and the intonation and tone are modified to emulate that of the other person, so that this person feels comfortable in the conversation by feeling “in his comfort zone”. On the other hand, the opposite happens when we talk to someone we do not like: we emphasize the properties of our voice that do not resemble those of the other person.

Furthermore, this tendency to change our way of speaking occurs on a small scale during the first few minutes we talk to someone, but it also goes on for days and even weeks more late. For example in an investigation It was found that months after moving in together for the first time, several roommates tended to talk much more alike than they had on their first day together. Furthermore, the degree to which their voices adapted to those of others correlated with the degree to which each felt close to the other.

Part of the chameleon effect

Phonetic convergence can be understood as part of the chameleon effect, a tendency whereby all our non-verbal language adapts to that of the interlocutor, unconsciously, usually when there is a climate of attraction or emotional closeness (or you want to reach it).

For example, some commercials pay attention to the positions of their potential clients and imitate them, or they try to make the speed at which they speak approach that of the other person.

• Related article: "Chameleon effect: when we imitate the other without realizing it"

Conclution

So, to know if someone likes you, always you can pay attention to the way his speech evolves during the first few minutes of conversation. On the other hand, if that person interests you, you can also try to voluntarily modify your way of expressing yourself so that the rhythms and sounds that make up your voice mimic theirs.