Our Voice Could Determine What Individuals Think About Our Intelligence

Researchers at the University of Chicago have found that a person's voice could actually sway an interviewer so much so that he or she may be more likely to give someone a job based on their tone even more than what's on their resume or how they're dressed.

New findings presented in The Journal of Psychological Science explained how some job candidates were judged more competent, thoughtful and/or intelligent based on how they sound than on paper alone.

For the study, the participants read 18 different "elevator pitches." The 18 students were told to pick their ideal job and write a pitch to the employer about why they would be a good fit for the job.

The study instructors asked the participants to pretend that they were the MBA students who wrote the pitches and to put emotions into the pitches when speaking.

"In addition to communicating the contents of one's mind, like specific thoughts and beliefs, a person's speech conveys their fundamental capacity to think -- the capacity for reasoning, thoughtfulness and intellect," said lead study author Professor Nicholas Epley, in a news release.

Findings were also replicated in an experiment that involved professional candidates who were recruited from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

"When conveying intelligence, it's important for one's voice to be heard - literally," Epley concluded.

The study results showed that how thoughts were vocally portrayed indeed made a difference in how the pitches were rated. This could ultimately make an impact when it comes to how individuals want to portray themselves at jobs.