Speak in a Lower Pitch to Boost Your Confidence When Speaking with Authority [Communication]

It's probably no surprise that human speakers with a deeper voice are typically seen as more powerful, but a new study in Social Psychological and Personality Science suggests lowering your pitch also increases how you perceive yourself and makes you feel more powerful.

In a series of tests, 81 students were divided into groups and asked to read text aloud in either a lower or higher pitch. In general, the students who spoke in a deep voice were perceived as more powerful by themselves and their peers. In one variation of the experiment, the participants also completed memory tasks to test a theory that powerful people are more abstract thinkers. As it turns out, even pretending you're more powerful with a deeper voice has an effect on your thinking as well.

The implications are summed up by the researchers simply:

This would add a simple and generally available instrument to your strategic arsenal: your own voice. The lowering of your own voice could then be used not only to influence others but also to influence yourself.

Lowering the pitch of your voice could come in handy when dealing with customer service, authority figures, or when giving a presentation. Just don't let the Barry White voice stick around too long. Photo by The U.S. Army.

Want to feel more powerful? Do a Barry White impression | BPS Research Digest

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/dv4Ojr08IhQ/speak-in-a-lower-pitch-to-boost-your-confidence-when-speaking-with-authority

elf on a shelf elf on a shelf carrier iq carrier iq linda perry world aids day horse slaughter