Love in the Air
There has been a great deal of argument throughout the scientific community as to whether or not such a thing as a human pheromone exists. For those who haven’t been listening to the debate though, pheromones are naturally released chemicals in animals that create attraction, and communicate certain desires. For instance, males can smell if a female of their species is ready to mate. In the same way, females can smell when males are aroused, and the act of inhaling their pheromones creates arousal in the female. The question is do we as humans also give off these chemicals, and if there is such a thing as a human pheromone, can it be detected with our comparatively blind noses?
The answer to both of these questions, though still being argued, seems to be yes. Human pheromones are contained in the sweat glands, and are released through sweat when it evaporates off of the skin. This is the reason why when women smell fresh sweat, or “clean” sweat, they may describe is as manly or attractive. If sweat sits for too long, then microbes and bacteria will overtake the scent, and create body odor, which is definitely not an attractive thing for either sex.
There are a variety of products, mostly geared towards men, that claim to make use of the human pheromone. Specifically these products, usually in the form of cologne or aftershave, are said to contain concentrated pheromones that will attract women to the wearer of the product, since he is obviously the source of the arousal. These products, rarely tested scientifically, have been on the market for decades but rarely show any proof. While important in non-verbal communication, there is a great deal more than biology that goes into mating for humans. It’s something that, no matter how powerful pheromones are, cannot be ignored in any human mating ritual.
