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Pheromones A Sexual Magnet Women's perfume
laced with synthetic pheromones acts as a sexual magnet and increases the
sexual attractiveness of women to men, San Francisco State University
researchers conclude in a study appearing in the current issue of the quarterly
journal Physiology and Behavior.
The study, the first of its kind to independently test a sex attractant
pheromone for women, showed that of the 36 women tested, 74 percent of those
wearing their regular perfume with the pheromone saw an overall increase in
three or more of the following sociosexual behaviors: frequency of kissing,
heavy petting and affection, sexual intercourse, sleeping next to their partner,
and formal dates with men.
In contrast, only 23 percent of the women who had a placebo added to their
perfume saw an increase in these sociosexual behaviors. Researchers conclude
from these data that the pheromone users were more sexually attractive to men.
"This is a biological signal to a man that suggests that this woman can
reproduce and he responds with romantic behavior related to securing intimate
relations with her," said research author Norma McCoy, an SFSU psychology
professor. "This is not a smell one can detect, neither the man nor the woman is
aware of it, but it's very powerful. This chemical appears to influence a man's
desire to have sexual intercourse." McCoy, a member of the International Academy
of Sex Research, has spent more than 20 years studying female sexuality. In 1995
McCoy researched the role oral contraceptives play in suppressing women's sexual
interest. To her surprise, the well-publicized study revealed that some oral
contraceptives instead enhanced a woman's libido.
In the pheromone study, one woman reported she engaged in kissing and petting
about one day a week before taking part in the experiment. However, after
wearing the pheromone, the number increased to nearly six times a week. The
woman also reported she slept next to a romantic partner and engaged in sexual
intercourse four nights a week while wearing the pheromone compared to less than
one night a week when she did not wear the pheromone.
Pheromones are chemical substances secreted externally to cause a change in
the reproductive behavior of another person and can directly stimulate a man's
sexual behavior through olfactory sensors processing information. Either the
olfactory epithelium or the vomeronasal organ, which is located in the nose and
conveys messages to the higher cortical regions of the brain, potentially could
mediate pheromone signals.
However, SFSU researchers hypothesize that the olfactory epithelium is the
most likely site. Lisa Pitino, a graduate student in psychology, conducted this
research with McCoy in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for her master's
degree.
"I've always been interested in subconscious signals between men and women
and how they can affect sexual chemistry," said Pitino. "This was an opportunity
for me to study this phenomenon scientifically."
The study was conducted for 14 weeks in 2000. Thirty-six women were recruited
on campus through psychology and human sexuality classes and asked to
participate in an experiment described as testing a pheromone that would
"increase romance in their lives." The criteria for participation called for
women who were heterosexual, regularly menstruating, neither married nor
co-habiting with a man, not currently using an oral contraceptive and in good
health.
Women between the ages of 19 and 48 took part in the study. The ethnic
backgrounds of the women were white, Filipina, Latina, Portugese, Chinese,
Brazilian, Native American, Mexican, Japanese, Jewish and Hispanic.
The women first recorded baseline information everyday for two weeks on seven
sociosexual behaviors: petting/affection/kissing; sleeping next to a romantic
partner; sexual intercourse; formal dates; informal dates; the number of times a
man approached her; and masturbation. The women then selected vials that were
clear, odorless and identical in appearance. The contents of the vial - the
synthetic pheromone or the placebo - were added to two ounces of the woman's
perfume. Each woman applied two to three dabs of the perfume under her nose, on
her cheeks and behind her ears at least every other day. The women used 34
different fragrances.
A total of 19 women wore the pheromones and 17 women used the placebos.
During three consecutive menstrual cycles, each woman recorded seven different
sociosexual behaviors each day. Overall there were no significant changes
observed between the two groups in the categories of informal dates, the number
of times a male approached the woman and masturbation. Only the intimate
behaviors that required a partner were affected. Significant results were
experienced after one menstrual cycle and the effects were increased during the
second cycle.
Some perfume manufacturers claim to include pheromones in their fragrances,
McCoy noted, but "few double-blind placebo controlled studies have been
conducted on this subject." |
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