Research

Motivational tone of voice: We frequently try to shape others’ behaviours. Our recent research findings suggest that it takes listeners only 200 milliseconds after the onset of your first word(s) to pick up on a subtly pressuring or finely supporting tone of voice. Moreover, feeling supported through tone of voice alone makes listeners feel better.

Emotional tone of voice: Every day we hear people express their emotions through voice cues alone. Remember the last time you heard someone say “I’m fine” and you got the feeling that they were not? We rapidly pick up voice cues that help us gauge how other people feel irrespective of whether we pay attention to them or now.

Attitudinal tone of voice: Listening to critique is never easy, not even when criticism is meant to be constructive. Some of our latest research shows that listeners feel bad after hearing statements such as “How about getting some training” irrespective of whether they were spoken in a constructive or destructive tone of voice.