Different Types of Pheromones You Should Know About

Here's what research has found. Below are the most common pheromones found in colognes and perfumes.

Androstenol

Smelling androstenol may activate the hypothalamus in heterosexual women. However, since the hypothalamus controls hunger, thirst, sleeping patterns, and sexual attraction it is unclear what precisely this means. The authors report that the area of the hypothalamus activated corresponds to the area of the hypothalamus activated by animals during mating behavior. So perhaps this is mild evidence that the scent of androstenol might turn women on.

Androstadienone

Studies suggest smelling androstadienone increases salivary cortisol in women. Cortisol is associated with the sympathetic nervous system, which is in turn associated both with sexual arousal smelling androstadienone may make women either frightened or turned on.

Like most studies, this study was limited by the fact that the women smelled androstadienone directly according to http://astrobiosociety.org

Androstadienone

Androstadienone speeds up motor reactions; in other words, it makes you move faster. The study specifically investigated reactions to angry faces; when participants saw an angry face they moved faster if they had been exposed to androstadienone. The authors interpreted this as the scent of androstadienone activating the fight or flight response, which would make sense along with the elevated cortisol level reported in the women of the previous study according to http://mpommett79.hatenablog.com

Androstadienone increases cooperation between men. Evolutionarily this would make sense, as when men sweat they are often working with other men, whether it be basketball, construction, or hunting mammoths. A variety of experiments suggest that androstadienone makes both men and women more sensitive to social information. This would be adaptive; if people are sweating an important event is likely going on, so it would be a good idea to pay attention to the emotions of those around you. And of course, people also sweat during sex.

So there’s some evidence that smelling androstadienone and androstenol, both of which are found in human sweat, may affect behavior and physiology when measured in the lab. But does this hold true in a real-world social setting? Unfortunately, it’s really hard to say.

People wear deodorant and antiperspirant under their armpits, so unless you are at a gym people probably aren’t making enough sweat to produce a lot of androstadienone and androstenol. And even if humans secrete these pheromones, the pheromones from everyone in an area would be mixing together. There’s no reason to think that one person’s pheromones would have more influence than another’s.

Conclusion on Human Pheromone Ingredients

In conclusion, there is little evidence that any of the effects human pheromones are supposed to facilitate actually exist. Smelling certain chemicals from human sweat may influence behavior in the lab, but most of us don’t spend our lives interacting in such an artificial environment. Therefore, if human pheromones exist at all, the effect they have on behavior in a real-world setting is likely minimal. Learn more at http://sundowndivers.org