The latest trend sweeping the internet is voicemaxxing, in which young men attempt to deepen voices to make themselves more appealing to women.
@nickfraserr shared his ‘guide to voicemaxxing’ on TikTok, claiming: ‘Having a deeper voice is going to make you more attractive.’
@kiernansheridan added: ‘Having a clear tone when you’re speaking is really important to produce confidence and to persuade other people that you know what you’re talking about.’
And @josezuniga said: ‘Women are more attracted to men with voices that are deeper with a slower pitch.’
Proponents have put forward a range of wacky methods, including humming exercises, breathing techniques, and even ‘neck crunches’.
However, scientists now warn that participating in voicemaxxing can do more harm than good.
‘Habitually speaking at an artificially low pitch contributes to muscle tension dysphonia,’ said Australian scientists Samuel Cornell, Krista Fisher, and Rob Brooks, in an article for The Conversation.
‘This is voice strain caused by squeezing the muscles around the voice box. It leaves your voice sounding rough, tight or breathy, and can cut out mid–sentence.’
The latest trend sweeping the internet is voicemaxxing, in which young men attempt to deepen voices to make themselves more appealing to women
From looksmaxxing to tanmaxxing, maxxing trends – in which participants go all–in on a particular habit – are rife across social media.
While voicemaxxing is hugely popular, scientists warn that it ‘might not give young men the results they intended.’
A quick search online uncovers a range of strange techniques that promise to deepen your voice.
Several methods are fairly harmless, according to the researchers.
For example, things like humming, breathing techniques, and regularly drinking water are actually often used by singing teachers.
However, other techniques leave men at risk of long–term damage.
The most dangerous option is ‘neck crunches’, which look like standard abdominal crunches, but focus on the neck.
‘For a deeper voice, men are encouraged to perform exercises known as neck crunches to strengthen their sternocleidomastoids – the long neck muscles running from your ear to your collarbone,’ the researchers explained.
Proponents have put forward a range of wacky techniques, including humming exercises, breathing techniques, and even ‘neck crunches’ (stock image)
‘But voice professionals say resonance (adding depth, volume and colour to your voice) comes from releasing tension from the jaw, not building muscle in your neck.’
Regardless of your technique, research suggests that voicemaxxing efforts may prove futile.
While studies have shown that women rate deeper men’s voices as more attractive, a 2013 paper by researchers from McMaster University found that this is not the case if the voice is fake.
‘We tested whether deliberate pitch changes affect speakers’ vocal attractiveness,’ the researchers explained in their study, published in Animal Behaviour.
‘Our results suggest that deliberately exaggerating sex–typical voice pitch (i.e. lowering pitch in men and raising pitch in women) does not necessarily increase vocal attractiveness but that exaggerating sex–atypical voice pitch (i.e. raising pitch in men and lowering pitch in women) may decrease vocal attractiveness.’
