It's official. Irish accents are considered to be the sexiest and the friendliest by the British public.
According to research carried out in the United Kingdom, the southern Irish brogue works best for those on the look out for love, followed by Scottish, Geordie, and Welsh accents.
Hear the World survey
The study of 4,000 adults, published today, reveals that 27 per cent considered the Irish accent most attractive. A Northern Irish accent was considered most attractive by only 8 per cent of those surveyed.
Asked to name the celebrity with the sexiest accent 26 per cent said Scotland's Sean Connery, followed by fellow countryman Ewan McGregor on 10 per cent, England's Hugh Grant, also on 10 per cent, and Dublin-born actor Colin Farrell who was favoured by 7 per cent of those surveyed.
Most annoying were the Brummie, Scouse and Cockney accents while most untrustworthy were the Scouse, Cockney and Mancunian accents, according to the study. The study published by Hear the World, a global awareness campaign on hearing loss, also shows that one third of those surveyed changed their accents depending on who they were talking with.
A total of 15 per cent admitted that they would take someone less seriously at work if they had a strong accent and 11 per cent agreed that an individual's accent would influence whether or not they did business with them.
One in three people considered Scouse the most untrustworthy accent, followed by Cockney, which received 22 per cent of the votes. The Brummie accent was regarded as the most annoying with a quarter of all the votes whilst Scottish accents were perceived as the most aggressive. But not all accents are an occupational hazard.
Psychologist Dr Glenn Wilson from Kings College, London said: "Accents can play a huge role in our initial attitude towards others. This explains why some people are more likely to adapt their accent to avoid being stereotyped and to encourage a particular impression. Hear the World is a global initiative by Phonak Hearing Systems that aims to raise awareness on the topic of hearing and encourage people to protect their ears today to avoid hearing loss in the future.
The campaign is supported by a number of celebrity ambassadors including Bryan Adams, Placido Domingo, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan, Moby and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
