Do Pheromones Exist in Humans?

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A pheromone is the chemical produced by a specific species that changes the behavior of the same species. This chemicals generally trigger their alert senses and most often, sexual attraction from males to females. “Most animals smell or “sense” pheromones through a specialized half-moon shaped structure located inside the nose called the vomeronasal organ” claims Dr. Amy Malick, continuing to report to ABC News that “Pheromone signals picked up by the organ are then relayed through nerves to an area of the brain called the hypothalamus, which is well known for its ability to alter emotions, hormones, reproduction and sexual behavior.”

Two cats kissing

So evidently, pheromones are a real thing, but do they exist in humans? To this date, the best evidence we have that pheromone signaling exists between humans is from a study done in 1998 by Dr. Martha McKlintock, that when women live together, their chemicals that are released through their sweat often cause their menstrual cycles to become synchronized. If this study was done properly, it would lead us to believe that these chemicals do in fact have an impact on humans of the same gender, but what about humans of opposing genders?

Organized in a study that appeared in the journal Neuron, 24 men and women had their brain activity analyzed as they each smelt chemicals that were based off testosterone and estrogen, the natural sex hormones produced by the body. From this study, Dr. David Berliner, CEO of Pherin Pharmaceuticals was able to conclude, “These findings corroborate that human pheromones do exist, and that women can communicate chemically with men and vice versa. This is a very important finding because it shows specific areas of the brain that are activated by these chemicals” (Berliner).

So even though pheromones were originally discovered in animals, we often get away from the theory of evolution and the idea that we do in fact share similar traits with many animals. Undoubtedly, even though we hardly even realize they’re there, these chemical signals exist between humans, and are unconsciously impacting every one of us in our everyday lives…or at least our sex lives.

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http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=116833

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/animalwelfare/Research/Pheromones/

http://www.cell.com/neuron/home

One thought on “Do Pheromones Exist in Humans?”

  1. Byanca Melissa Rodriguez Villanueva

    After the Male are toxic? lecture, I am not suprise by this post. And the fact, I investigate a little more about this topic and it was found that women and men react differently to the pheromone. The researchers have found new evidence that men and women can in fact send and receive subconscious odor signals. And, that men adn women, it seems, responde the smells differently. Women`s hypothalami are activated when they smell the chemical similar to testosterone but not the estrogen-like substance, whereas men`s hyothalami have the opposite response: They are turned on only by the estrogen-like chemical and not the testosterone-like one.

    http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=116833

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