Behavioral and electrophysiological effects of androstadienone, a human pheromone

Grosser, Bernard I.; Monti-Bloch, L.; Jennings-White, Clive; Berliner, David L.

doi:10.1016/s0306-4530(99)00056-6

Cited by 132 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…However, no bioassayguided study has led to the isolation of true human pheromones, despite claims appearing in popular media (e.g., Web sites) and even suggested in some peer-reviewed articles (Sobel et al, 1999;Grosser et al, 2000;Savic et al, 2001). The axillary extracts discussed above may be thought of as a "medicinal tea" whose active ingredients remain to be isolated, much like the tea made from the extract of the foxglove plant that was given to chest-pain sufferers during the 18th and 19th centuries (Krantz, 1974).…”

Section: Source and Signal: Axillary Chemistry And Pheromone Creationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facts, fallacies, fears, and frustrations with human pheromones

2004

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Among primates in general, pheromones are of variable importance to social communication. Data on humans have generated the greatest controversy regarding the existence of pheromonal communication. In this review, the likelihood of pheromonal communication in humans is assessed with a discussion of chemical compounds produced by the axilla that may function as pheromones; the likelihood that the vomeronasal organ (VNO), a putative pheromone receptor organ in many other mammals, is functional in humans; and the possible ways pheromones operate in humans. In the human axilla, the interactions between the cutaneous microflora and axillary secretions render this region analogous to scent glands found in other primates. Both the chemistry of axillary secretions and their effects on conspecifics in humans appear to be analogous to other mammalian pheromone systems. Whichever chemical compounds serve a pheromonal function in humans, another unknown is the receptor. Although the VNO has been implicated in the reception of pheromones in many vertebrates, it is not the only pathway through which such information has access to the central nervous system; there is ample evidence to support the view that the olfactory epithelium can respond to pheromones. Furthermore, if a chemical activates receptors within the VNO, this does not necessarily mean that the compound is a pheromone. An important caveat for humans is that critical components typically found within the functioning VNO of other, nonprimate, mammals are lacking, suggesting that the human VNO does not function in the way that has been described for other mammals. In a broader perspective, pheromones can be classified as primers, signalers, modulators, and releasers. There is good evidence to support the presence of the former three in humans. Examples include affects on the menstrual cycle (primer effects); olfactory recognition of newborn by its mother (signaler); individuals may exude different odors based on mood (suggestive of modulator effects). However, there is no good evidence for releaser effects in adult humans. It is emphasized that no bioassay-guided study has led to the isolation of true human pheromones, a step that will elucidate specific functions to human chemical signals.

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Section: Source and Signal: Axillary Chemistry And Pheromone Creationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facts, fallacies, fears, and frustrations with human pheromones

2004

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“…Several studies have highlighted positive effects of androstadienone on participants' mood and alertness: some in women only (Bensafi et al, 2004a,b;Jacob and McClintock, 2000), some in both sexes (Hummer and McClintock, 2009;Jacob et al, 2002) and some in female participants without comparison to males (Grosser et al, 2000;Lundström et al, 2003a;Lundström and Olsson, 2005). Discordant evidence has, however, been reported regarding physiological responses of the autonomous nervous system (sympathetic-like effects in Bensafi et al, 2004a; versus parasympathetic-like effects in Grosser et al, 2000), and these were context dependent (varying according to the sex of the experimenter: Lundström and Olsson, 2005). Although these studies did not specifically investigate sexual behavior or mate choice (but it has been claimed that "a positive mood is known to facilitate women's sexual response, and increased focus improves sexual satisfaction," Verhaeghe et al, 2013), other studies have more specifically tested the effect of androstadienone on the perception of social stimuli.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Androstadienone’s influence on the perception of facial and vocal attractiveness is not sex specific

Ferdenzi

Delplanque

Atanassova

et al. 2016

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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a b s t r a c tThe androgen steroid androstadienone, an odorous compound emitted from the human axillary region, has recurrently been considered as a candidate compound involved in human chemical communication and mate choice. Although perception of androstadienone has been shown to influence several affective (mood), attentional, physiological and neural parameters, studies investigating its impact on human attractiveness remain unpersuasive because of incomplete designs (e.g., only female participants) and contradictory results. The aim of this study was to investigate how androstadienone may influence others' attractiveness. Specifically, we used a complete design (male and female raters, male and female faces and voices) to determine whether androstadienone influences the perception of social stimuli in a sex-specific manner, which would favor pheromonal-like properties of the compound, or in a more general manner, which would suggest that the compound has broader influences on human psychological responses. After comparing the ratings of men and women who were exposed to androstadienone masked in clove oil with those of men and women who were exposed to clove oil alone, we found that androstadienone enhanced the perceived attractiveness of emotionally relevant stimuli (opposite-sex stimuli in men and in fertile women). Response times for categorizing the stimuli as attractive or not were also affected by androstadienone, with longer response times in men and in fertile women and shorter response times in non-fertile women, irrespective of the stimulus sex. The results favor the hypothesis of general effects over sex-specific effects of androstadienone, thus questioning the relevance of focusing on that particular compound in the study of human attractiveness through body odor and encouraging the search for other semiochemicals that might be significant for human mate choice.

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“…Women exposed to androstadienone in the laboratory environment tend to experience positive affective modulation, including fewer feelings of boredom and frustration associated with the laboratory testing session, maintenance of positive moods despite exposure to negative stimuli, and increased feelings of focus (Bensafi et al, 2004a;Grosser et al, 2000;Jacob and McClintock, 2000;Jacob et al, 2001a;Lundström et al, 2003a;Lundström and Olsson, 2005;Villemure and Bushnell, 2007). At the physiological level, androstadienone inhalation precedes measurable changes in endocrine state (Wyart et al, 2007) and autonomic activations (Bensafi et al, 2004a;Grosser et al, 2000;Jacob et al, 2001a;Monti-Bloch and Grosser, 1991) that may be specific to women (Boulkroune et al, 2007). Neurologically, female response to androstadienone extends beyond the olfactory system, activating areas of the brain associated with attention, social cognition, emotional processing, and sexual behavior Jacob et al, 2001b;Savic et al, 2001;Savic et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence that androstadienone, a putative human chemosignal, modulates women’s attributions of men’s attractiveness

Saxton

Lyndon

Little

et al. 2008

Hormones and Behavior

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Evidence that androstadienone, a putative human chemosignal, modulates women's attributions of men's attractiveness. Hormones and Behavior, 54 (5 Northumbria University has developed Northumbria Research Link (NRL) to enable users to access the University's research output. Copyright © and moral rights for items on NRL are retained by the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. Single copies of full items can be reproduced, displayed or performed, and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided the authors, title and full bibliographic details are given, as well as a hyperlink and/or URL to the original metadata page. The content must not be changed in any way. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holder. The full policy is available online: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/policies.html This document may differ from the final, published version of the research and has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies. To read and/or cite from the published version of the research, please visit the publisher's website (a subscription may be required.)

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Behavioral and electrophysiological effects of androstadienone, a human pheromone

Cited by 132 publications

References 22 publications

Facts, fallacies, fears, and frustrations with human pheromones

Facts, fallacies, fears, and frustrations with human pheromones

Androstadienone’s influence on the perception of facial and vocal attractiveness is not sex specific

Evidence that androstadienone, a putative human chemosignal, modulates women’s attributions of men’s attractiveness

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