University of Sussex
Browse
Pisanski et al 2018 EHB acceoted version SRO.pdf (557.6 kB)

Women’s voice pitch lowers after pregnancy

Download (557.6 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 12:49 authored by Katarzyna Pisanski, Kavya Bhardwaj, David Reby
Women’s voice pitch (the perceptual correlate of fundamental frequency, F0) varies across the menstrual cycle and lowers after menopause, and may represent a putative signal of women’s fertility and reproductive age. Yet, despite dramatic changes in women’s sex hormone levels and bodies during and after pregnancy, previous between-subject and case studies have not found systematic changes in F0 due to pregnancy. Here, we tracked within-individual variation in 20 mothers’ voices during their first pregnancy, as well as up to 5 years before conception and 5 years postpartum. Voice recordings from 20 age-matched nulliparous women were measured as a control. Linear Mixed Models indicated that F0 mean, range and variation changed significantly following pregnancy in mothers, controlling for age at time of recording, whereas we did not observe any F0 changes across corresponding timeframes in our sample of nulliparous controls. Mothers’ voices became significantly lower-pitched and more monotonous during the first year postpartum compared to during pregnancy or before. These F0 parameters did not decrease within-individuals over a 5-year period prior to conception above and beyond the effects of ageing. Although voice pitch decreased following pregnancy, mothers’ F0 parameters reverted after the first year postpartum, approaching pre-pregnancy levels. Our results demonstrate that pregnancy has a transient and perceptually salient masculinizing effect on women’s voices.

Funding

Faking it: The production, perception, and function of social voice modulation; G1812; EUROPEAN UNION; 655859

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Evolution and Human Behavior

ISSN

1090_5138

Publisher

Elsevier

Issue

4

Volume

39

Page range

457-463

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2018-04-11

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2019-04-12

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2018-04-11

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC