We judge musicians by their looks and behaviour more than the way they sound, says new study Hearing is believing. New study shows you don't have to hear a singer, but see them to judge a performance. THE makers of The Voice may consider holding "deaf" auditions rather than blind tryouts if they believe a new scientific study on how we judge musicans. The British research found we judge successful singers by seeing their passion over hearing their voices. The study found musicians and non musicians could identify the winners of classical music competitions based on watching silent video footage. They could pick the winner of live music competitions through the passion expressed in their faces, but were unable to identify the winners when played audio recordings or footage with audio and video content. Can you pick the winner? Take our test and see how you go. Author Chia-Jung Tsay, from London's University College, found a performer's passion was the most important visual indicator of the quality of their performance. Tsay also found both novices and professional musicians judge music quickly and automatically primarily through visual information. It is a surprise find considering music is generally deemed an audio experience. The research also found race, gender and physical attractiveness did not impact the judgement of the professionals. Qualities such as creativity, motion, involvement, motivation, passion, and uniqueness were significantly more salient through visual cues rather than through sound. British researchers have discovered people rely on what they see more than what they hear. But how does this apply when judging a singing contest?