From Kim Kardashian to Paris Hilton, many female celebrities are known for their low, husky voices.
This deep accent is known as a “frity voice” and has become popular among young women who want to speak more like their idols.
Now, a study has revealed how women who talk to fry use the same technique as cats when they purr.
Researchers at the University of Vienna have discovered a special “pad” embedded in cats’ vocal cords, which may explain why they can produce these low-frequency sounds.
“The observed sound production mechanism is strikingly similar to the human ‘squeaky voice’ or ‘vocal voice,'” the team explained.
From Kim Kardashian (left) to Paris Hilton (right), many female celebrities are known for their low, husky voices.
Cats are known for their wide range of noises, whether high-pitched squeaks or low-pitched purrs.
Previous studies have shown that meows and squeals occur in the cat’s larynx, or “larynx,” just like vocalizations in humans.
However, until now, the mechanism behind purring was unclear.
Research dating back 50 years suggested that purrs are produced by a special mechanism in which the vocal cord muscles within the larynx contract and relax in a cycle.
However, in their new study, the researchers questioned whether this is actually the case, noting that such a process would require constant neural input and control by the brain.
To set the record straight, the team enlisted the help of eight domestic cats, whose larynxes were analyzed while they made a variety of noises.
As predicted, the analysis revealed that cyclical muscle contractions are not necessary to generate cats’ purrs.
Instead, the team discovered that cats have a unique pad within their vocal cords that is responsible for low-frequency noises.
To set the record straight, the team enlisted the help of eight domestic cats, whose larynxes were analyzed while they made a variety of noises (file image)
Christian T Herbst, lead author of the study, said: “Anatomical investigations revealed a unique ‘pad’ within the vocal cords of cats.
‘[This] “It may explain how such a small animal, weighing only a few kilograms, can regularly produce sounds at those incredibly low frequencies (20-30 Hz, or cycles per second), far below even the lowest bass sounds produced by human voices”.
This process is very similar to that of vocal fry in humans, the researchers explained.
Writing in his study, published in Current biologyThey added: “This is comparable to fry vocal phonation in humans, which occurs at frequencies below 70 Hz.”
Fry Vocal Sounds They are typically used at the end of a sentence when users dive into lower, screeching notes.
It’s compared to the way Britney Spears croaks the phrase “Oh baby, baby” in her No. 1 hit “Baby One More Time.”
Unfortunately for those who have adopted this accent, a recent study found that women who speak with it are seen as less intelligent and attractive.
However, researchers at the University of Florida found no difference in the impression it made when worn by men.
