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Presidential Debators, Listen Up!"
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- As the presidential candidates prepare to debate, they might want to consider this: Voices of politicians are only slightly more trustworthy than used car salesmen, according to a recent Harris Interactive poll.Doctors, professors/teachers and TV news anchors/radio announcers are considered to have the most trustworthy voices, followed by lawyers and TV talk show hosts, the survey found.Voices scoring the lowest are those of politicians (3%), rap stars (2%) and used car salesmen (1%), the survey found."Voice can be a huge factor when it comes to trustworthiness," said Renee Grant-Williams, vocal coach to business leaders and political candidates. "It may be that your voice is only temporarily weak or strained from a cold or a late night out -- but people tend to make long-lasting judgments based on first impressions."Other survey findings include:47%) of respondents feel that having a recognizable voice is a good thing.One-third admire a good voice and avoid those whose voices they find irritating.21% of adults feel a person's voice is as important as their looks.17% think a person's voice indicates how educated he or she is.16% wish they could change their voice in some way.12% wish people would think their voice is "sexy."The most irritating/annoying voices are those that are whiney (86%), followed by nasal sounding (65%) and high-pitched (60%). About one-fifth feel that heavily accented voices are especially irritating and/or annoying.Respondents over the age of 55 have a more negative reaction to computer-enhanced voices, ones that are scratchy, hoarse or raspy, and deep voices.68% of personal sore throats result from health-related reasons; colds, allergies, sinus problems and post-nasal drip are the leading causes.24% of adults experienced sore throats from voice strain, including screaming at a sporting event/concert, talking in a noisy, crowded room, singing or yelling.When suffering from sore throats, extreme hot or cold food/beverages are desired to offer soothing relief: 37% of adults crave hot/warm soup, 36% prefer hot tea and 34% crave ice cream/sorbet/ice pops.The study was conducted for Cepacol sore throat-relieving products, manufactured by Combe Inc."