The Human pheromones Are chemical substances produced by the organism as a means of communicating with organisms of the same species, whose existence has been demonstrated in animals but not entirely in the human species.
In this article we will talk about the functions of pheromones, what they serve and how they can change people's behavior.
What are pheromones?
The word"pheromone"comes from the Greek word"pherein", which means to bear or bear. This makes sense, as pheromones carry information with you.
These substances have sometimes been described as behavior-altering agents. Many people do not know that pheromones trigger certain behaviors in other members of the same species, not just the person who produces them, as opposed to hormones, which normally only affect the individual who secretes them.
These substances can be secreted to produce many types of behaviors, such as creating affective bonds between a mother and her baby and sexual arousal.
It is believed that the first animal pheromone was identified in 1953 and was named Bombykol. This pheromone is secreted by female moths to attract males. The signal of this pheromone can cross long distances, even in very low concentrations.
Humans and other animals have an olfactory system designed to detect and discriminate between thousands of chemical compounds. There is a belief that pheromones are secreted by axillary glands called" Apocrine glands ", Which create a nutritional medium for bacteria.
There are differences between men and women in the type of glands, secretions and even microbial flora, which suggests that pheromones have a specific sex role. These compounds can also be found in salivary, seminal and urinary secretions, but studies tend to focus on the most accessible: axillary sweating.
Types of Pheromones
There are two main types of pheromones: liberators and primers. Some scientists have proposed a third and a fourth group of pheromones: signposts and modulators.
Release pheromones
They provoke an immediate response and are usually linked to sexual attraction. Ants produce this type of hormones to notify other ants and tell them that they have found food.
In this way, the group's ants know when to return to the nest to eat. When the food runs out, the ants produce a different pheromone that lets others in the group know they need to look for more.
Pheromones priming
These types of pheromones take longer to get a response. They may, for example, influence the development of the physiology of reproduction, including menstrual cycles in women, puberty, and whether or not to become pregnant.
They can also alter hormone levels; In some mammals it has been found that females that had been pregnant and were exposed to this type of pheromones from another male could spontaneously abort the fetus.
Hormones signaling
They provide information. They can help the mother recognize her newborn by the smell (parents can not do this).
Modulators
They can alter or synchronize bodily functions and are usually found in sweat. This is the type of pheromone that disrupts female menstrual cycles.
Do human beings have pheromones?
According to many websites that promise that you will get all the love conquests that you propose if you buy your pills, human pheromones exist. However, there are many more controlled scientific studies that have not been able to gather convincing evidence about the human existence of these substances or have come to different conclusions in this regard.
Gustav Jäger (1832-1917), a German doctor, was the first scientist to present the idea of human pheromones and called them anthropins. He affirmed that they were compounds associated with the skin and the follicles that marked the individual signature of the scents of each human individual.
Some of the effects of animal-tested pheromones have been seen very clearly in humans as well. Although the exact conclusions of many of the researches differ from each other, most have found that human sweating increases physiological activation, one way or another.
The animals have a special organ to identify very subtle odors of other animals: the Vomeronasal organ , Located in the nasal area. However, this organ, present in early primates, disappeared in humans as it developed other more advanced methods to choose sexual partners and remained as a vestige. This is one of the reasons why there is the controversy that deals with whether humans have pheromones or not.
In order to administer the pheromones and study the effects, most studies choose passive inhalation of the same above the topical application. They usually ask the subjects to smell or place the sample on the upper lip.
Effects of pheromones in humans
Next, we'll talk about the results of some research that studies the effects of pheromones in humans.
The synchronization of the female menstrual cycle
This is one of the best known results of pheromone action, although most people do not know that it is due to these. Some researchers at the University of Chicago claimed that they had managed to synchronize the menstrual cycles of a group of women following unconscious odorous signals.
When women were exposed to the smell of sweat from other women, their menstrual cycles accelerated or slowed, depending on where the menstrual cycle of women from which sweat was drawn - before or after ovulation. However, more recent analyzes of this study and the methodology with which it was carried out question its validity.
Male pheromones also affect the female menstrual cycle, accelerating it and increasing fertility. Cutler and Preti (1986), of Monell's Center for Chemical Sensations in Philadelphia, say their research highlights the importance of the presence of the"essence"of men (now called"pheromones") for the biology of woman.
They found that having sex on a regular basis decreases fertility problems in women, regulates menstrual cycles and correlates with milder menopause.
Effects on mood
The effects of the pheromones on the mood are also not very conclusive. This is at least partly because the mood has a subjective component greater than, for example, physiological activation or levels of certain hormones in the blood, which makes it more difficult to measure and identify.
Chen (2000), for example, found that moods could be communicated by chemical compounds found in axillary sweat. Sweat was collected from men and women while watching a funny video or one that was scary, to recognize later.
The women successfully differentiated the sweat bottles from people who had seen the funny video of those who had watched the horror video. The men were able to make the distinction significantly (but only from the"happy"pheromones) only when the sweat came from women. Scared pheromones were well identified by both men and women only when they came from the sweat of men.
Jacob (2000, 2001) found that physiological activation was increased, but only saw a positive increase in mood and increased arousal in women when the man administering the test was a man. Men were unaffected by the examiner's sex, but overall fewer effects were seen in them than in women. In this study it was concluded that pheromones are incredibly context-dependent. Humans must integrate many different brain functions to influence mood.
It has also been found (Marazziti et al, 2010) a direct correlation between axillary compounds and Serotonin . Serotonin is a neurotransmitter related to well-being, positive feelings and happiness. It also maintains the balance in the mood and it is known that a deficit of this neurotransmitter can cause depression.
Sexual Compatibility
Cutler (1998, 2002) found that some synthesized pheromones, applied topically (on the skin), enhance a person's sexual attraction. In another study, men who took the synthesized pheromones reported having had more sexual activity with their partners, but had not noticed an increase in autoerotic behaviors.
The existence of chemical substances that communicate information about the immune systems of each individual has been demonstrated, but they are not always considered pheromones, because they do not provoke a specific reaction in members of the same species.
Sexual Orientation
Human pheromones are specific to each sex and each sexual orientation. In all previously described studies, subjects were identified as heterosexual. Homosexual men respond to some pheromones in the same way as heterosexual women.
Martins et al (2005) verified the preferences among different types of sweat from heterosexual men and homosexuals and heterosexual and homosexual women. The results were quite significant: heterosexual men did not significantly prefer heterosexual or homosexual women, unlike women, who preferred homosexual men.
The other groups preferred heterosexual women before homosexuals. Gay men chose sweat from heterosexual women more often than heterosexual men. It is difficult to draw specific conclusions from such studies so early, but it seems clear that there are significant differences in the way humans react to pheromones based on their sexual orientation.
Other discoveries
Another recent study conducted at the Weizzmann Institute of Science in Israel offers interesting data on the effects of human pheromones on other individuals, particularly those of the opposite sex.
The researchers collected tears from women who had seen a sad scene from a movie and placed them under the nose of a group of men. You may think that the most logical reaction on the part of men would have been to generate a state of empathy , But what happened was that his sexual arousal and his testosterone levels were diminished. Apparently, tears made them understand that there was no place for romance in that situation.
Human pheromones for sale
Pheromones of insects and some mammals have been in the market for years to be used as insecticides or baits, but people who are interested in buying human pheromones usually look for something completely different: the opposite sex.
These pheromones, or at least their synthetic equivalents, have been used as ingredients in colonies, deodorants and perfumes since before the eighties. The bad news is that, although they are easily accessible, chances are these substances do not get the results you want.
At present, there is insufficient evidence that the perfumes containing these ingredients create more interest in the opposite sex than perfumes that do not contain them. The reaction in the opposite sex, if it exists, is very subtle.
CONCLUSIONS
Exposed and other studies to date suggest that pheromones can communicate information about sexual compatibility, sexual orientation, and gender by physically and unconsciously affecting humans.
Reproduction is the most important aspect when it comes to becoming a successful species, being only comparable, perhaps, to survival. In this way, it makes sense that there are mechanisms beyond our conscious control that impel us not only to procreate, but to do so with those partners that will make us have a more successful offspring (in terms of adaptation and survival).
Some people may find the idea that there are so many unconscious and uncontrollable processes in our body unpleasant, but instead of seeing the effects of pheromones as a loss of agency, it could be seen as an improvement in the sensory skills that allows us to do Informed decisions. Pheromones seem to be simply another way of communicating.
Many researchers (and also many perfume companies) have been hoping to find an effective human sexual pheromone for decades to produce effects, but so far they have not, according to George Preti. "This does not mean that a human sex pheromone does not exist,"Preti quickly adds,"just means we have not found it yet."