Hey, I'm talkin' to you, tough guy!

Hey, guys, I'm talking to you. Yeah, you. So you think you're a tough guy? Really?

Maybe you should read this column, posted by CNN.com's Health Writer, Elizabeth Landau. A new study found that people can evaluate upper body strength based on the sound of men's voices. The results support the idea that the human voice, especially the male voice, contains cues of physical strength.

Of course it does. You don't need to conduct a complex study to know that this guy is formidable:


It's true, some guys are obviously tough by the sounds of their voices. When James Earl Jones belts out his trademark, "This is C-N-N," he might as well be saying, "I could easily kick your A-S-S."

Or how about Mike Rowe, the host of Dirty Jobs and Deadliest Catch? He's got that voice that women love and men admire. A gay co-worker of mine recently informed me of his attraction to Rowe, so I asked him, "Do you prefer him before he's showered or after?"

"Preferably during," he replied.

Some guys try to sound tough, and wear a little somethin' somethin' to add to the effect:

The guy in the goggles behind him seems a lot tougher. Wedgies don't portray strength. They portray discomfort.












Another interesting finding from this study is that lower vocal pitch is not necessarily associated with greater perceived strength. Although I must say, the Bee Gees wouldn't be my first choice to back me up in a bar fight.

So fellas, maybe we should grasp this opportunity to assess our own strength, to listen to our voices in the most objective way we're able. Please repeat after me, using your everyday vocal tone:
"Your handbag doesn't match your shoes."

Just as I suspected: I can probably bench 250.