London - It's a masculine trait that many women find attractive – but a researcher has revealed men with deep voices are also considered more likely to cheat.
Women use vocal pitch to judge whether men will make a good partner or not, according to a psychologist.
Viktoria Mileva, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at the University of Stirling, said that the "cads versus dads" theory suggests more dominant, masculine men are not as paternal or family-oriented as less dominant, masculine men.
Research has shown women tend to prefer deeper-voiced, more masculine-sounding men, especially when women are near ovulation. Dr Mileva said: "This may be because partnering with deeper-voiced men could lead to genetically healthier children."
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However, when women are breastfeeding or have children, she said, they are more likely to prefer men with lower-pitched voices, as deeper-voiced men are also viewed as less trustworthy and potential cheaters.
Dr Mileva added that women were more likely to go for deeper-voiced men as short-term rather than long-term partners.
In an article for website The Conversation, she also explained how men’s voices tend to go deeper when talking to people they find attractive – and how both sexes vary their pitch to increase attraction.