Higher-pitched female voices elicit jealousy: Comparing the explanatory power of perceptions of mate poaching, attributions of attractiveness, and trait jealousy

Abstract

Abstract Higher-pitched female voices elicit jealousy among women. However, it is unknown whether jealousy towards higher-pitched female voices is driven by perceptions of the rival’s mating strategy, by attractiveness to one’s romantic partner, or by variation in trait jealousy. Here, I manipulated women’s voices to be higher or lower in pitch, and tested whether jealousy towards female voices was more strongly associated with perceptions of mate poaching, perceptions of attractiveness to one’s mate, or with individual differences in trait jealousy. I replicated findings that higher voice pitch elicits more jealousy from women, which was positively associated with perceptions of mate poaching, and with attractiveness to one’s partner to a lesser extent. I found no evidence of an association between trait jealousy and perceptions of intrasexual competition. The findings suggest that perceptions of a target’s mating strategy have a somewhat stronger impact on jealousy than does perceived desirability to one’s romantic partner.