'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
A small study, conducted by European hotel chain Premier Inn, has found which celebrities’ voices are the most relaxing to hear.
The study asked more than 50 participants to rank out of 10 which celebrity voice sounded the most soothing.
At the top of the list, with a “relaxation score” of 6.88, is Sir David Attenborough and his autobiography, “A Life on our Planet.” The British broadcaster is best known for the narration of documentaries focusing on animal life, including “Blue Planet II” and “Planet Earth.”
With a score of 6.4, Stephen Fry is the second most relaxing voice, according to the study. The British actor is best known for movies like “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and “Gosford Park,” a 1930s mystery-drama.
Michelle Obama reading her book, “Becoming,” was scored by participants as 6.39 out of 10, ranking the former first lady of the United States third in having one of the most soothing voices.
According to the study, younger people age 16 to 24, mostly favoured Attenborough’s voice. Those between the ages of 25 and 34 preferred the voices of TV presenters Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly. English singer Lily Allen was the most liked voice for people aged 34 to 44, and Stanley Tucci’s voice was enjoyed predominantly by people between the ages of 45 and 54. The study found those aged 55 and older liked the voices of singer Gary Barlow and actor Graham Norton best.
Merrill Tanner, a speech-language pathologist and singer who teaches at the University of Alberta and a member of Speech-Language & Audiology Canada, told CTVNews.ca vocal technique and pitch are important factors for determining whether someone will find a voice soothing.
“Some people just have naturally good vocal technique, but most take some training to have their voice as resonant and as relaxed and as beautiful as possible,” she said in a telephone interview with CTVNews.ca Thursday.
Tanner said someone like Attenborough would have gotten trained in speaking. As well, she says most actors take up voice lessons to portray different characters.
Tanner said good vocal technique encompasses a number of things.
“Good breath support, open throat, relaxed phonation, using the resonation chambers (vocal tract) really well,” she said are some of the most important areas of focus.
Yelling for long periods of time and being sick can alter someone’s voice, damaging vocal cords and lowering a person’s appeal, Tanner said.
The study also broke down the most relaxing celebrity voices for men and women.
For both genders, Attenborough scored the highest with 6.5 out of 10 for men and 7.02 for women. Men found Obama’s voice to be second most relaxing at a score of 6.38.
Tanner said how recognizable someone’s voice is also adds to whether people find it relaxing.
"I think it has to do with status and her whole overall persona, which is one of caring, giving and honesty,” she said of Obama.
Tanner said some voices simply appeal to certain people based on preference.
“Johnny Cash has a certain appeal, but probably not the best voice. He has a really low voice, it sounds a bit like a smoker's voice. But it's the emotion that he projects I think that appeals to people,” she said of the American singer.
Despite the study signalling out voice, Tanner said people’s personalities are intertwined with how they speak.
“Voice is totally integrated with the person and their personality and their energy and their aura,” she said. “Having a really nice voice is kind of… part of the package, or at least a normal sounding voice.”
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.