The Way to a Man’s Heart is Through His Nose

It’s a common phrase that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach; however, it may can also be said that the way to his heart is actually through his nose. Pheromones, which are odorless and invisible to the eye, are blends of chemicals that a body produces to send a signal to someone else. They are thought to be the reason behind menstrual cycles becoming synchronized among women who live together or spend a lot of time together; they are also behind the “marking of territory” that dogs deposit to claim their boundaries. Pheromones are secreted externally and can stimulate a man's sexual behavior through olfactory sensors, which process information. Researchers believe that it is the olfactory epithelium that may mediate the signals given by pheromones. In human sexual attraction, pheromones indicate a woman’s availability for breeding. A 2002 study by San Francisco State University researchers and published in Physiology and Behavior concluded that men are more attracted to women wearing pheromones. The study – the first to independently test a sexual attractant pheromone for women – showed that women's perfume, when laced with synthetic pheromones, can act as a sexual magnet of sorts and make them more attractive to men. Of the 36 women tested, 74 percent of those who were wearing their usual perfume, but with the pheromone added, experienced an increase in three or more of the following socio-sexual behaviors: formal dates (incidence of kissing, heavy petting and affection), sexual intercourse, and sleeping next to a romantic partner. By contrast, only 23 percent of the group of women who had a placebo added to their regular perfume experienced an increase in any of these behaviors. The researchers’ conclusion was that the pheromone users were more sexually attractive to men than those who did not use the synthetic pheromones. What can women do to increase their pheromones and attract a mate? Based on this study’s findings, a woman actively seeking a mate should dab on some artificial pheromones in addition to her regular perfume. Perfume, when laced with a artificial pheromone, drastically increased the women’s sex appeal to men.