A deep voice may influence how people judge a leader. A 2013 study examined 792 male CEOs, the top leaders of publicly traded companies whose shares people can buy. Researchers found that those with deeper voices led larger businesses, received higher pay, and remained in their positions longer.
For a typical CEO at a typical company in the sample, a lower voice was associated with about $187,000 more in annual pay. It was also linked to managing a firm roughly $440 million larger and about 151 additional days in the job. The researchers stressed that these connections did not prove that voice depth caused the differences.
A separate study in 2012 explored voter preferences. Researchers digitally created higher- and lower-pitched versions of recordings of men and women asking for votes. Both male and female listeners preferred the lower voices, regardless of the speaker's gender. It remains unclear whether that preference helps voters choose better leaders.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes became known for her unusually deep voice, although she speaks in a higher voice in the documentary You Can See Everything. Her company's scientific claims were eventually disproved. In January 2022, a jury convicted her of defrauding investors, meaning she cheated people who put money into the business. Any advantage her voice may have offered did not prevent that outcome.
