Morgan Freeman's voice is so distinct and iconic that you don't even have to see his name written in the credits to know that he is a part of the production. Freeman's voice is already known as "the voice of God" and he lent his voice to animated characters in film and games, as well as served as the narrator in films. But what exactly is it about Freeman's voice that makes it so interesting?
Just on Monday, Freeman's voice became available for use in the popular application, Waze, and it probably won't be too long before people make the switch from their chosen voice guides to Freeman's soothing voice. People's preference and fondness for Freeman's voice apparently has to do with psychology, but the answers are still not definite.
Director of the Media Psychology Research Center Pamela Rutledge believes people like Freeman's voice because of the roles that he took on in his acting career.
"We've watched Freeman play the good guy over and over again, and those years of positive associations add up," she says.
University of Miami Associate Professor Casey Klofstad, however, believes that it has more to do with Freeman's actual voice than with his acting career.
"His voice is perceived as that of a dominant, strong male figure," Klofstad says.
According to a study by Klofstad and his colleagues, people tend to favor voices with lower registers regardless of sex. They sensed a connection between lower voices and the perception of integrity, wisdom and power. Of course, age had something to do with it too.
"What we found is that the perceptions of strength and competence were the most strongly associated with the preference for lower voices," Klofstad concludes.
If you want to lower your voice, Freeman says it is easy. All you have to do is to yawn a lot because the action relaxes a person's throat muscles and voice box to a point where one's voice comes out lower. Don't believe us? Watch the clip below.
And if you're a fan of "Southpark," then you should already know that Freeman earned another freckle for explaining it to you.
