What makes one person’s voice more attractive or masculine than another? The sound and quality of your voice are defined by four characteristics: pitch, timbre, speaking rate, and volume. Different variations in these characteristics create a wide variety of human voices with expressive tones, unique inflections, and thousands of different accents. Certain vocal qualities are associated with specific people, places, or cultures, and fluctuations in our voices suggest different moods, intentions, and even personality traits.
While every voice has unique qualities, some vocal characteristics are perceived as more attractive than others. Perhaps the most common preference is for a deep, masculine voice. Studies show that the average woman is attracted to men with deeper, more manly vocal tones. A lower-pitched voice is often perceived as a sign of dominance and social status, as well as high testosterone and good evolutionary fitness. It’s also associated with attractive personality traits like confidence, ambition, leadership, and security. Women are generally attracted to confident and powerful men, so it’s no surprise they lean toward males with lower pitches and more resonant vocal qualities.
The pitch of the average male voice falls somewhere between 85 and 180 hertz. If your voice sits at the low end of the spectrum, between 60 and 90 hertz, your voice may be deeper and more masculine than you realize. However, if your voice is closer to 140 or 180 hertz, you have a high voice compared to the typical male, and that puts you in a rough spot.
The deepness of a voice is primarily determined by the length and thickness of the vocal cords, which is determined by the amount of testosterone you were hit with during puberty. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do to deepen our voices substantially. You're pretty much stuck with the voice nature gave you. Some might wish for a deeper voice, thinking all the dames would be attracted, but trying to force it isn't the solution.
After all, your voice is one of the first things potential partners notice about you. A deep, manly voice makes a memorable and attractive impression on the people you meet. Right away, they make positive assumptions about your personality and social status. On the other hand, a higher voice may be sending the wrong messages and undermining the confidence and masculinity you’re trying to convey.
Trying to artificially lower your voice, perhaps thinking, "I'll just talk like this from now on," is not advisable. Speaking in a lower pitch does a number on your lower throat and puts wear and tear on your vocal cords. Understood? It also makes you hard to understand. There's no point in sounding like Barry White if no one understands a word of what you're saying. You might feel stuck, thinking, "Well then I'm just stuck F this way."
Well, we can't all sound like Dean Martin, but all hope is not lost. Just because your voice isn't a deep baritone doesn't mean you can't have a manly voice. You can still develop your natural voice to its full potential. The manliest voice is the voice you've already got. You just need to find it and own it.
A good voice is one that is filled with warmth and expression. It should also have an even resonance that's easy on the ears. It should carry well so people can understand exactly what you're saying, and it should be flexible and have a wide range of natural pitches. Luckily, your voice can change. Our vocal cords are incredibly flexible. Just listen to the sheer variety of pitches, timbres, and other vocal qualities heard throughout the world. While it’s challenging to make lasting changes to your speaking voice, a little time and practice can change the way you sound and strengthen the impression your voice leaves on other people.
There are two main things you can do to speak with your best voice possible, along with other helpful techniques. If you’re a man with less attractive vocal qualities, practice these techniques on a daily basis, and you can develop a deeper, more manly voice – or rather, your most resonant, confident, and effective natural voice.
Method 1: Finding Your Natural Pitch and Optimal Tone
Projecting from Your Mask
Most men are walking around speaking from their lower throat to get an artificially deep voice. Or, if you have a nasally sounding tone, your problem is that you're speaking from just your nose. To speak with your natural pitch and optimal tone, you need to project your voice from your mask. It's the area on your face that includes your lips and the bridge and sides of your nose. You know you're projecting from your mask when you feel the area slightly vibrate when you speak. A voice projected from The Mask won't be nasally nor will it strain your throat.
Here's how to hone your optimal pitch and tone that comes from speaking from your mask: Answer the following statement with a spontaneous and sincere "mhm." Keep your lips closed and let your inflection rise on the "hm." Pay attention for a slight vibration in your mask area. That "mhm" is your natural pitch and tone. Now say "mhm one," "mhm two," "mhm three," etc. Check to see if the numbers are the same pitch and tone as your "mhm." From here on out, focus on speaking with the optimal pitch and tone you just discovered.
Method 2: Adding Bravado and Power
Breathing from Your Diaphragm
Now that we found your voice's natural pitch and tone, it's time to add some of that manly He-Man oomph to it. We do that by proper breathing. If you're like most people, you've been breathing wrong for most of your life. Do you breathe with your neck and shoulders, or do you breathe from the pit of your stomach? Many men develop higher voices because they’re breathing in a way that restricts the flow of air through their larynx, also known as your voice box.
Take a breath. Sit up straight and take a breath. Inhale and exhale as you usually would. Did your chest and shoulders rise? You just failed at breathing. When your chest and shoulders rise when you breathe, it means you're breathing with your chest. This sort of breath is weak and squeezes the throat area, causing strain on your voice. If they did move, you are taking shallow breaths, which may be why your voice is higher than it needs to be. Shallow breathing puts tension on your neck muscles and vocal cords while decreasing the amount of air gathered with each breath.
A proper breath originates in the diaphragm. Take another big breath, but this time try to breathe from your stomach instead of your neck. You should feel your diaphragm rising and falling as you inhale and exhale, but your neck and shoulders should remain still. You know you're breathing correctly if your belly Moves In and Out and your chest and shoulders stay still. This is a more relaxing breathing technique, which yields a greater quantity of air. It also significantly decreases the amount of strain on your neck muscles and vocal cords.
Breathing from your diaphragm when you speak gives your voice more power and even deepens it a bit without the ill effects of trying to speak from your throat. Your voice will have more resonance and gravitas as you breathe correctly. However, teaching yourself to breathe differently can be a challenge. It may require days or weeks of conscious effort to learn, but deep, diaphragmatic breaths are better for the overall health of your vocal cords. Each time you breathe from your stomach, you relax your vocal cords and create more space for the sound to resonate in your body. With practice, this breathing technique may lower the pitch of your voice naturally, giving you the deep, manly voice resonance that many people find so attractive.
Further Techniques for Vocal Enhancement
Control Your Speaking Rate (Vibration Frequency)
Do people tell you that you talk too quickly? This is a common habit among men with higher than average voices. Due to stress, anxiety, or over-excitement, you rush through your sentences, unconsciously increasing your speech rate and making your voice higher than you realize. Every time you speak, air passes through your vocal cords, which vibrate to create sound. The frequency at which your vocal cords vibrate influences the pitch of your voice. The faster they vibrate, the higher your voice becomes.
To test this phenomenon for yourself, try increasing the speed of this video (or any recording) to two times its average rate. On two-times-speed, your ears encounter twice as many vibrations, making the voice sound much higher pitched. On the other hand, slowing the video down lowers the pitch of the voice because you’re reducing the frequency of vibrations hitting your ear. So, slow down, take your time, and speak deliberately. By simply changing the rate of your speech, you can make your voice sound deeper and more masculine almost instantly.
Cultivate a Breathier Quality
The most attractive male voices are not only lower in pitch but also breathier and more resonant. If you want to develop a more attractive voice, practice talking in a breathier voice. The trick is to inhale and exhale more air as you talk. We don’t typically think about how or when we breathe as we speak. Over time, we learn to use various breathing techniques to influence how our voices sound, the volume at which we speak, and the kinds of sounds we’re able to produce. For example, when you pronounce the word “hat” or “tally,” you’re forcefully expelling air from your mouth to create aspirated sounds, like h’s, t’s, p’s, and k’s.
If you want to lower the pitch of your voice, try exaggerating your breaths, almost like you’re sighing deeply as you talk. A greater airflow will give your voice a huskier tone, which is a very attractive quality in male voices.
Prioritize Vocal Cord Health (Hydration)
Some men unintentionally speak in a higher voice than they should because they neglect the health of their vocal cords. Dry or dehydrated vocal cords produce different acoustic qualities, potentially changing your tone and raising your pitch. If you want a deeper, more resonant voice, make sure your vocal cords are properly hydrated. To most people, hydration means drinking more water, but hydrating your vocal cords is a little more complex.
Your vocal cords can become internally and externally dehydrated. External dehydration occurs when you breathe an excess of dry air. For example, people who frequently breathe through their mouths have drier than average vocal cords, resulting in fluctuations in their voices. To combat external dehydration, try breathing in warm, moist air using a water vaporizer or take a hot shower.
On the other hand, internal dehydration is caused by a lack of fluid replacement in your body. Throughout the day, your body uses and expels fluids. Usually, we replace those fluids with drinking water, but other factors influence the amount of water your body needs to stay healthy and hydrated. People who drink caffeine during the day or participate in physically demanding activities, resulting in excess sweat, may require more water than the average person. If your vocal cords are dehydrated, it may lead to excess wear and tear, which influences the overall sound of your voice. So, keep your vocal cords thick and well-hydrated. Drink more water throughout the day, but don’t forget to nourish your voice in other ways, like inhaling warm steam. The thicker and healthier your vocal cords become, the deeper and fuller your voice will sound.
Enhance Muscular Flexibility
While most people associate vocal qualities with your larynx or voice box, sound production relies on several different muscle groups in and around your mouth, jaw, neck, and stomach. If one of these muscles is tense or injured, your voice may become higher than it needs to be. People who want deeper, more masculine voices often benefit from strength-building exercises that target your neck and jaw muscles. For example, a daily routine of neck sit-ups or chin tucks can develop these commonly neglected muscle groups, reducing strain on your neck and throat. As your mouth, jaw, and neck muscles get stronger and more flexible, you may notice the pitch of your voice beginning to decrease naturally.
Men with higher voices may also benefit from head or neck massages, which aim to relieve excess tension in these critical areas of the body. Men are especially prone to this kind of muscular stress, but very few men recognize the source of their tension or take action to relieve it. While you may not think much about jaw and neck muscles, these muscle groups define how you speak and the qualities of your voice.
Expand Your Vocal Range
Humming is another exercise you can practice daily to deepen the pitch of your voice naturally by improving flexibility. Humming familiar songs and simple scales allows you to increase your vocal range while simultaneously relaxing your vocal cords. This is a common technique among singers and actors who want their voices to sound loud and strong during a performance. Before they go on stage, they make a low “ohm” sound with their voice. This simple but effective routine opens their throats and releases tension in their vocal cords, providing better airflow and vocal flexibility.
Whether you’re going on a date or giving a public speech, spend a few seconds using this trick of the trade. When you open your mouth to speak, your voice will sound deeper and stronger, making your voice more resonant and attractive to almost anyone.
The Importance of Owning Your Voice
Improving your natural voice is something doable and within your reach. While the timber of your voice may never be movie narration ready, it can be one that gives you confidence and leaves others enjoying the sound of your words. Remember, Abraham Lincoln had a higher pitched voice but was a memorable and convincing orator because he made the best of his natural voice. Howard Cosell spoke right from his nose, but that nasally voice became recognized by sports fans Across the Nation. Ira Glass has a really nasally sort of high-pitched voice that wouldn't normally be classified as attractive or Pleasant sounding, but he hosts one of the most popular radio shows in the country.
Bottom line: do your best with the voice you have, but don't fret too much about whether it's manly enough. Focus on finding your natural pitch, breathing from your diaphragm for power and resonance, speaking clearly, and maintaining good vocal health. Just own it. That's the manly thing to do.
