Alexa or Alex? Under-35s find digitised female voices more compelling – those older prefer males, study says

Younger people prefer assistance from female voices, neuroscience research has revealed. A major study of consumers' subconscious reactions to digitised voices has revealed there is a substantial bias towards female voices among people under the age of 35. The research, which used brain imaging technology to explore the neurological response to male and female voice assistants, discovered respondents of both genders within a younger age group found a female voice both more approachable and more compelling than its male equivalent. In contrast, while those over 35 also found the female voice more approachable, they found the male voice to be more compelling. Analysing the subconscious brain responses of 105 subjects aged between 18 and 65, the study discovered that subjects of all ages and genders found female voices more approachable, with the "approach" response 32 per cent higher for female voices.