# Building Trust Through Voice: How Vocal Tone Impacts User Perception of Attractiveness of Voice Assistants

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.18941 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.18941/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 6 of its 51 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 27 Sep 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Leveraging Large Language Models for Exploiting ASR Uncertainty](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.04842/) (2023)
- [Exploring Interactions Between Trust, Anthropomorphism, and Relationship Development in Voice Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.01923/) (2021)
- [Understanding Barriers and Design Opportunities to Improve Healthcare and QOL for Older Adults through Voice Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.03756/) (2021)
- [The Impact of Perceived Tone, Age, and Gender on Voice Assistant Persuasiveness in the Context of Product Recommendations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.04791/) (2024)
- [Challenges in Supporting Exploratory Search through Voice Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.02986/) (2020)
- [The Drawback of Insight: Detailed Explanations Can Reduce Agreement with XAI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.19629/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Towards Holistic Evaluation of Large Audio-Language Models: A Comprehensive Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.15957/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Voice Assistants (VAs) are popular for simple tasks, but users are often hesitant to use them for complex activities like online shopping. We explored whether the vocal characteristics like the VA's vocal tone, can make VAs perceived as more attractive and trustworthy to users for complex tasks. Our findings show that the tone of the VA voice significantly impacts its perceived attractiveness and trustworthiness. Participants in our experiment were more likely to be attracted to VAs with positive or neutral tones and ultimately trusted the VAs they found more attractive. We conclude that VA's perceived trustworthiness can be enhanced through thoughtful voice design, incorporating a variety of vocal tones.