Pheromones - Nature's Love Potion #9

Interestingly, the day after I posted about the guy that I didn’t like because of his smell (Sad Fireman) there was an episode of Oprah about pheromones that I thought was interesting. Here's some basic info that I compiled that I found. Maybe I'm not shallow after all! Maybe it WAS the pheromones:

Pheromones are chemicals that are secreted in the sweat (and other bodily fluids) of humans and other mammals, even insects. Pheromones are odourless and barely perceptible. In fact, it is only through our vomeronasal organ (VNO) located in our nasal cavity that we're able to detect pheromones. Although pheromones can’t be seen, heard, smelled or touched, they sub-consciously affect our biological processes, which in turn, stimulate our sexual drives and reproductive behaviours. Scientists have long known that these pheromones have a powerful influence on mating habits.

If you've ever observed the way a male animal is irresistibly attracted to a female in heat(and we’ve all seen two dogs doing in on the side of the road!) you already understand the sexual power of pheromones. They influence how often we have sex, and with whom. This doesn’t mean we act like love-crazed tom-cats ready to pounce on any member of the opposite sex that happens to be nearby. The effects of pheromones on humans are more subtle than that, but still powerful.

Androstenone is a steroid found in both male and female sweat and urine and is predominantly known as a male pheromone because it creates a dominant and intimidating aura. It can produce alpha-male type aggressiveness which is often associated with sex and good mate choice, so this pheromone can create a sexual vibe and increase sexual tension. While normally it is reported to have an unpleasant, sweaty, urine-like or woody smell, when a woman is ovulating (therefore wanting healthy specimen to reproduce with) it takes on a pleasant or floral smell. At this time it also increases the luteinizing hormone (LH) in women, thereby causing a woman to have a heightened sexual responsiveness to a man.

Copulins are an exclusively female group of pheromones that attract men. They are secreted into the vagina at the optimum ratios during ovulation with the aim of encouraging men to desire to copulate. They have also been proven to bring about a testosterone surge (up to 150%) in men, causing a man to have a heightened sexual responsiveness to a woman.This increase in testosterone may cause feelings of arousal in men if a woman is present. It is said that once a man smells copulins on a woman she is deemed to be more attractive.

The difference between being “in love” and just loving someone has to do with chemistry. As I learned on Oprah, a good way to test if there’s chemistry between you and your man is to take a good whiff of him when he’s clean but cologne-free … if the smell turns you on then there’s good chemistry. If not… sorry! Welcome to splitsville... population, you.

Also… and this part is interesting… women are attracted more to men with a different MHC (major histcombatibility complex) than them. It’s part of the immune system that differentiates whether something in your body is your own (self) or from someone or something else (non-self.) This encourages survival of the species through different combinations of genes (and you know, encourages you NOT to get with your cousins.) However, women on the pill tended to choose a guy with a similar MHC because of the fact that they aren’t ovulating. This can cause higher levels of infidelity and fertility issues. So yeah... this is NOT GOOD. You can be off the pill and get pregnant by someone different than you, or be on the pill and not get pregnant and be attracted to someone a little too close to home. Ew.

I know what you’re thinking… How do I use pheromones to get me laid? Well, this is where synthesized pheromones can give you an advantage that Mother Nature never did. Even if you're one of the fortunate people who secretes abundant quantities of natural pheromones, the pheromones you do produce are usually washed away when you shower or bathe. Products such as Passion Parties “Pure Instinct" or endless others you can purchase on the internet contain pheromones, that when applied to the skin are supposed to bring out one’s natural sexual scent. Do they really work? That’s yet to be proven. But, it can’t hurt!