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Human odors
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Human odors The science of sex is still trying to determine if there is a human sex pheromone that works like those in the animal world. My guess is there is something to the sense of smell being a basis for sexual arousal. So stick your nose in my armpit and see if I excite you! Human<b> pheromones </font></b>Some commercially-available substances are advertised using claims that the products contain human sexual<b> pheromones </font></b>and can act as an aphrodisiac. These often lack credibility due to an excessive marketing of<b> pheromones </font></b>by unsolicited e-mail. Despite claims to the contrary, no defined pheromonal substance has ever been demonstrated to directly influence human behavior in a peer reviewed, published study. A few well-controlled scientific studies have been published suggesting the possibility of<b> pheromones </font></b>in humans, however. The best-studied case involves the synchronization of menstrual cycles among women based on unconscious odor cues (the so called McClintock effect, named after the primary investigator). This study proposes that there are two types of pheromone involved: "One, produced prior to ovulation, shortens the ovarian cycle; and the second, produced just at ovulation, lengthens the cycle". This is analogous to the Whitten effect, a male pheromone mediated modulation of estrus observed in mice. Other studies have suggested that people might be using odor cues associated with the immune system to select mates who are not closely related to themselves. (See Disassortative sexual selection) Using a brain imaging technique, Swedish researchers have shown that homosexual and heterosexual males' brains respond differently to two odours that may be involved in sexual arousal, and that the homosexual men respond in the same way as heterosexual women. According to the researchers, this research suggests a possible role for human<b> pheromones </font></b>in the biological basis of sexual orientation. Another study demonstrated that the smell of androstadienone, a chemical component of male sweat, maintains higher levels of cortisol in females. The scientists suggest that the ability of this compound to influence the endocrine balance of the opposite sex makes it a human pheromonal chemosignal. In 2006 it was shown that a second mouse receptor sub-class is found in the olfactory epithelium. Called the trace amine-associated receptors (TAAR), some are activated by volatile compounds found in mouse urine, including one putative pheromone. Orthologous receptors exist in humans providing, the authors propose, evidence for a mechanism of human pheromone detection. |
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