Have you ever been strangely attracted to someone, but you couldn't understand why? Maybe it was the way they did their hair? Maybe it was their stylish fashion sense? Perhaps they just had a certain way of carrying themselves that just oozed confidence? Are you ready to read a sentence that doesn't end in a question mark? No? Well, what if I told you that your unexplainable attraction to this person was because you just really liked the smell of their armpits? "But, Stevan! That's disgusting," you say, secretly wondering if I'm telling the truth. Well, dear reader, I am...kind of.
Pheromones are chemicals released by animals that have an effect on the behavior of their own species, and it's usually sexual in nature. The gist of it is that animals use these pheromones to attract mates. For instance, when a dog or cat is in heat, every dog/cat in the neighborhood somehow knows and shows up, trying to get some action. If you weren't familiar with the concept of pheromones, you might have just thought that animals were psychic or something. In actuality, pheromone receptors in animals are really, really strong.
You're probably wondering what this has to do with you and Mr./Ms. Dreamy McDreamboat's sweaty pits. Well, I may have exaggerated a little lot. While humans do secrete pheromones through our skins (not just our armpits), they're not exactly useful as far as attracting the opposite sex. This is mostly because our pheromone receptors are pretty much leftover junk from our less civilized years and don't work. Don't fret, though, we do have olfactory receptors that resemble the pheromone receptors of other species. Unfortunately, unless you're trying to line up your menstrual cycle with your sorority sisters, human pheromones still aren't going to do a whole lot for you. Besides, who needs pheromones when you have boatloads of cash? Right?
If you're still hopeful, allow me to crush your dreams with this probably less-than-scientific experiment in which a woman has to choose between a man sprayed with pheromones, a man wearing aftershave, and a sweaty guy:
So, there you have it. Pheromones are nowhere near as effective as cheap aftershave when it comes to seducing attractive British women. Now you know...
Nice post Stevan. I'm not sure if I had ever been attracted to someone that's well...kind of like what you described lol, but I'll probably have to sit and really think about that one. You mentioned a lot of interesting information based on the book and expanded it to where it really made sense. So great job on that one, and the video was really something as well, it went a long nicely with this week's lesson.
I think it's funny that people pick someone based on their smell. Well I'm sure we wouldn't want to pick a stinky smelly person, so I guess it kinda makes sense. But picking someone just based on their smell, nah. Maybe it is a factor in choosing someone but not the sole reason. But it's pretty interesting,
Like always i enjoyed your post, and its interesting how something like the smell can attract you to someone and you cant seem to know what exactly is it that attracted you to that person. this is obviously much more evident in animals because i wouldnt say that i am attracted to a guy based on his odor. good post overall :)
So I guess the AXE company is onto something after all. I gave little credit to the "Axe effect" but it makes sense that our evolved selves would have such preferrences. Since we humans have evolved to standing tall with our noses so far off the ground, it makes sense that pheromone features would become vestigil. Also, I find it amazing how we have used our brain's pleasure and memeory to develop ways to find a mate. Have you ever smelled something and it instantly brought back memories, tastes or even feelings? great post, so easy to read and not be bored!
Nice post Stevan.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I had ever been attracted to someone that's well...kind of like what you described lol, but I'll probably have to sit and really think about that one. You mentioned a lot of interesting information based on the book and expanded it to where it really made sense. So great job on that one, and the video was really something as well, it went a long nicely with this week's lesson.
I think it's funny that people pick someone based on their smell. Well I'm sure we wouldn't want to pick a stinky smelly person, so I guess it kinda makes sense. But picking someone just based on their smell, nah. Maybe it is a factor in choosing someone but not the sole reason. But it's pretty interesting,
ReplyDeleteLike always i enjoyed your post, and its interesting how something like the smell can attract you to someone and you cant seem to know what exactly is it that attracted you to that person. this is obviously much more evident in animals because i wouldnt say that i am attracted to a guy based on his odor. good post overall :)
ReplyDeleteSo I guess the AXE company is onto something after all. I gave little credit to the "Axe effect" but it makes sense that our evolved selves would have such preferrences. Since we humans have evolved to standing tall with our noses so far off the ground, it makes sense that pheromone features would become vestigil. Also, I find it amazing how we have used our brain's pleasure and memeory to develop ways to find a mate. Have you ever smelled something and it instantly brought back memories, tastes or even feelings? great post, so easy to read and not be bored!
ReplyDelete