Vocal characteristics predict infidelity intention and relationship commitment in men but not in women

In mating relationships, judgments about a speaker's infidelity intention and relationship investment vary depending on the speaker's voice pitch. However, no study so far has investigated whether voice pitch predicts infidelity intention and relationship commitment. In this study, three vocal parameters were analyzed: fundamental frequency (F0), the within-utterance standard deviation in F0 (F0-sd), and formant position (Pf). We examined the -relationship between vocal parameters and infidelity intention as well as relationship commitment based on self-report questionnaires. Results showed that, in men, F0 and F0-sd were significantly negatively correlated with infidelity intention, positively correlated with relationship commitment, and there were no significant correlations between Pf and infidelity intention or relationship commitment. In women, vocal parameters did not predict infidelity intention or relationship commitment. Taken together, this study suggests that vocal characteristics predict infidelity intention and relationship commitment in men but not in women. The current findings have important implications for research on voice in the mating-related domain.