It's All About That Bass For Politicians: Candidates With Deeper Voices More Likely To Win Elections

A voice as deep and smooth as Barry White's rumbles through the speakers and instantly mesmerizes the crowd. For a singer, this is an amazing trait, but it's also great for politicians. Two studies reveal a deeper voice influences voters and could even throw an election a candidate's way.

One study, led by Casey Klofstad, associate professor of political science at the University of Miami, examined the results of the 2012 U.S. House of Representatives election. Deeper-voiced male candidates were more likely to win against their higher-pitched rivals. However, in races pitting male and female candidates against each other, the one with the higher voice generally prevailed.

For the second study, researchers from the University of Miami and Duke University had 800 people listen to altered recordings of individuals saying, "I urge you to vote for me this November." Lower-pitched recordings were preferred over audio with high-pitched voices. "The preference for leaders with lower-pitched voices correlates with the perception speakers with lower voices are stronger, more competent and older, but the influence of perception of age on vote choice is the weakest of the three," an abstract of the study said.

Though we might want to think voters select candidates based on their stances on the issues, appearance also matters. With each election cycle come studies and polls about how height, looks and hair influence voters. There's the notion that taller candidates are more likely to win presidential elections. A study that looked at all presidential elections found that height did matter. Taller candidates had more popular votes, but they were only slightly more likely to win the election. A taller president was more likely to win re-election against a shorter challenger.

"The advantage of taller candidates is potentially explained by perceptions associated with height: Taller presidents are rated by experts as ‘greater,' and having more leadership and communication skills. We conclude that height is an important characteristic in choosing and evaluating political leaders," the abstract said.

Overall appearance is a major factor. Female candidates were more successful if their eyes had more curve on top, and their hair was shorter and parted to one side. A broader face made a candidate more "able looking." Looks and appearance affect women more than men, and even compliments can hurt candidates, the Atlantic reported. Even a group of children was able to pick the winner of an election based on appearance alone.

Looks may not be everything, but they certainly mean a lot for politicians.