JourneywomanDo pheromones really work?
January 6th 2008 01:39
We’ve all heard of pheromones – that magical chemical secretion from the armpits that attracts the opposite sex – and now you can even buy synthetic varieties online. But to believe that you can “attract any girl you want!” simply by applying a substance to your skin is folly, as it wasn’t until recently that scientists were able to confirm that pheromones even worked in humans at all. Sure, a male rat when smeared with the vaginal secretions of a female rat will attract other male rats, but does this translate into human society? The jury’s still out, but it is widely believed that natural pheromones do play a part in human attraction.
So how do they work, exactly? Going back to that t-shirt-sniffing experiment I mentioned in an earlier blog, women consistently preferred the scent of men who had different chemical makeups than their own. The reason for this is purely based on seeking out the partner who is most likely to help produce healthy offspring. If the man’s immune system is different from the woman’s, the babies will ultimately be healthier, and women can sense this simply by using their noses. The t-shirts from the men that had similar genetic makeups to the women were found to be less appealing, and this could explain why it is close to impossible to be chemically attracted to a relative – their immune systems are too similar to make healthy babies.
On a daily basis, however, we tend to wash away all our natural pheromones each time we shower, so unless you’re the dirty type, women will be mostly unable to pick up on your natural scent. And there is nothing less appealing than a dirty man, so don’t quit showering with the false hope that your stronger pheromones will attract the girl you’re after, because your body odour will send her running in the opposite direction! Besides, if your chemical makeup is similar to hers, it is highly unlikely that she will be attracted to you based on scent alone. Women are amazingly intuitive when it comes to such matters, and it has been reported that their sense of smell is up to three times stronger than that of a man’s – so stay clean if you want a chance with her. This effect is entirely subconscious, by the way, because even though the receptors of pheromones are located inside the nose, women don’t consciously “sniff out” a potential mate.
As for the synthetic versions, well, it seems that they only work if you believe that they do (in other words, they don’t work at all). But if they give you the confidence to approach any girl in the room, surely that counts for something! Confidence, however, can be gained for free, rather than paying an extortionate amount of money for something that just doesn’t work the way it says it does. We’ve still got a lot to learn when it comes to the science of attraction, but until then, stay clean and stay away from those false pheromones – you’ll only waste money that could be better spent elsewhere, like buying a drink for your potential paramour. Best of luck to you.
So how do they work, exactly? Going back to that t-shirt-sniffing experiment I mentioned in an earlier blog, women consistently preferred the scent of men who had different chemical makeups than their own. The reason for this is purely based on seeking out the partner who is most likely to help produce healthy offspring. If the man’s immune system is different from the woman’s, the babies will ultimately be healthier, and women can sense this simply by using their noses. The t-shirts from the men that had similar genetic makeups to the women were found to be less appealing, and this could explain why it is close to impossible to be chemically attracted to a relative – their immune systems are too similar to make healthy babies.
On a daily basis, however, we tend to wash away all our natural pheromones each time we shower, so unless you’re the dirty type, women will be mostly unable to pick up on your natural scent. And there is nothing less appealing than a dirty man, so don’t quit showering with the false hope that your stronger pheromones will attract the girl you’re after, because your body odour will send her running in the opposite direction! Besides, if your chemical makeup is similar to hers, it is highly unlikely that she will be attracted to you based on scent alone. Women are amazingly intuitive when it comes to such matters, and it has been reported that their sense of smell is up to three times stronger than that of a man’s – so stay clean if you want a chance with her. This effect is entirely subconscious, by the way, because even though the receptors of pheromones are located inside the nose, women don’t consciously “sniff out” a potential mate.
As for the synthetic versions, well, it seems that they only work if you believe that they do (in other words, they don’t work at all). But if they give you the confidence to approach any girl in the room, surely that counts for something! Confidence, however, can be gained for free, rather than paying an extortionate amount of money for something that just doesn’t work the way it says it does. We’ve still got a lot to learn when it comes to the science of attraction, but until then, stay clean and stay away from those false pheromones – you’ll only waste money that could be better spent elsewhere, like buying a drink for your potential paramour. Best of luck to you.
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