A pheromone is a chemical released into the air by one member of a species that has the function of changing the behavior, or internal physiology, of another. Pheromones may be detectable as odors, or they may pass through a primitive sensory organ (the vomeronasal organ) that is present in the human nose and is capable of detecting chemicals of which we are unaware. However, in humans, this is a matter of ongoing research and remains controversial.

The first indication that there are human pheromones was the finding that girls sleeping together in a dormitory have synchronized menstrual cycles. Subsequent research showed that the underarm secretions of one woman could be used to drive the menstrual cycles of others. A related finding is that when women begin sleeping regularly with a man their menstrual cycles become more regular and they ovulate more often. ***

In a fascinating recent study, Winnifred Cutler and her colleagues at the Athena Institute for Women's Wellness in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, tested whether a synthesized version of a human male pheromone {Athena Pheromone 10Xtm} would affect men's ability to sexually arouse women, as reflected in increased rates of sexual intercourse.

Participants in the study wore an aftershave that either contained the possible pheromone or a placebo that could not affect sexual responsiveness of the men's romantic partners. Participants did not know which they were getting. For most of the men wearing the pheromone there was no change in frequency of sexual intercourse, but eight of seventeen in the group reported an increased frequency of intercourse. This was not simply due to the expectation that being in the study would enhance their sex lives, because only two of the twenty-one men in the placebo group had an increased frequency of intercourse over their regular (baseline) level.

The difference between the two groups was statistically significant, allowing the researchers to conclude that secretions produced in men's armpits can affect sexual desire in women. They do not appear to have affected sexual desire of the male subjects because, for example, their frequency of masturbation did not change.

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Nigel Barber, Ph.D. is an evolutionary psychologist, researcher, and freelance writer. Formerly he was an assistant professor of psychology at Birmingham-Southern College

To read more about Dr. Cutler's study Dr. Barber refers to click here:

Archives of Sexual Behavior

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