The familiar sound leads to a rise in the hormone oxytocin in girls that is connected to emotional attachment while concurrently suppressing the hormones triggered by anxiety.

The results support the theory that women, more than men, utilize the social connections of touch or speech to deal with tricky situations.

Men are supposed to take on a “fight or flight” outlook when struggling to manage.

Dr. Leslie Seltzer, a Biological Anthropologist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison that conducted the research, said that it was unspoken that oxytocin discharge in the context of social bonding generally needed physical touch.

He said, “But it's clear from these results that a mother's voice can have the same effect as a hug, even if they're not standing there".

The study, which came out in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal, entailed 61 girls aged between seven and 12.

The girls were asked to give a speech and crack a maths problem, while standing in front of a jury of guests.

Their heart rates and anxiety were observed and it consequently started mounting.

Dr. Seltzer said that this hormone, oxytocin, lowers tension in women, and in doing so might fortify relationships between people.