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"It's not what you said, it's how you said it": an empirical approach to human voice as the outward expression of inner character

It is often said that the eyes are a window onto the human soul. Just as suggestive of inner states and traits as the eyes, however, is the human voice. Changes in the speaker's voice, and differences between speakers, can signal a wide range of different meanings (to do e.g. with attractiveness, honesty, warmth, etc.). In our project, we adopt a highly interdisciplinary approach to explore two broader areas of interest: 1. positive and negative trait assessment of vocal variation (vocal traits of villains and heroes; vocal elements of creepiness; vocal variation and crisis; vocal variation in relating positive and negative news); and 2. sociobiologically conditioned vocal variation (effects of alcohol and smoking on voice quality; vocal stereotypes related to alcohol and smoking).

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