# Trusting the Voice? When an Attractive Voice Meets the “In-Group” Effect

## TL;DR

This study shows how voice attractiveness and group identity affect trust decisions differently depending on the situation and roles involved.

## Contribution

The study reveals how voice attractiveness and in-group effects interact in trust decisions across different roles and contexts.

## Key findings

- Attractive male voices received more initial investments from female trusters.
- In-group trustees received more investments when feedback was unknown.
- Participants expected attractive trusters to invest more and reciprocated more to in-group trusters.

## Abstract

Prior research has revealed the isolated effects of voice attractiveness and group identity on trust decisions. This study investigated how males’ voice attractiveness and group identity simultaneously influenced females’ trust decisions as trusters (Experiment 1) and trustees (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 showed that trustees with attractive voices were more likely to receive initial investments, and in-group trustees obtained greater investments when feedback was unknown. However, upon receiving feedback, these effects vanished. Experiment 2 showed that participants expected trusters with attractive voices to have higher investment amounts. Participants reciprocated more to in-group trusters than to out-group trusters. In summary, voice attractiveness and group identity influenced trust decisions independently, and the effects were context-dependent. Moreover, the effects of the “beauty premium” and “in-group favoritism” in trust-based decision-making varied depending on role, feedback, and stage of the decision-making process.