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Lawyers with booming voices less likely to win in court
Men who sound extremely macho are less likely to win in the US Supreme Court than those who use gentler tones, according to scientific research.
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Scientists in Chicago and Zurich have collaborated on a study of 60 recordings of male advocates in the US Supreme Court, playing them to 200 volunteers. The volunteers rated them in a number of categories including intelligence and trustworthiness.
Compensating
Only one of the traits helped predict the outcome of cases - and that was the masculinity of the voices. Those seeming less masculine were more likely to win. Alan Yu of the University of Chicago said: 'It was a surprise to all of us.' Mr Yu added: 'Lawyers who think they're going to lose may project a different kind of voice, perhaps overcompensating by sounding more masculine.' Source: New Scientist
