With Valentine’s Day coming up, love is on the brain … or is it on the nostrils? Some say you can fall in love with someone for their eyes, laugh, intellect, acerbic wit, or firm pectorals, but for their aftershave? Like it or not, scent plays a hell of a role in your level of attraction—or unattraction, for that matter—to a potential paramour.
Pheromones, tiny secreted chemicals, elicit a major subconscious response from members of many species. Insects go nuts for pheromones, relying on them heavily to dictate their rules of attraction, though in human beings, the effects of sex attractant pheromones remain heavily-contested in the realm of science. But after a long night at Alfie’s, you can really start to wonder about the power of these supposed reactors.
Back in the mid-1980s, the Washington Post published an article about the effects of human pheromones, specifically in regards to pioneering research by Dr. Winnefred B. Cutler.
“You might say that exposure to pheromones is the essence of sex,” Cutler told the Post. But even researcher Dr. Martha McClintock—who sparked the whole pheromones debate back in 1971 with her analysis of the synchronization of women’s menstrual cycles living in close proximity to one another—is skeptical of Cutler’s assertions. According to an article on the American Psychological Association’s website, McClintock concludes that in terms of humans, pheromonal effects aren’t that cut and dry. McClintock asserts that pheromones are never guaranteed to elicit a particular response between humans, unlike insects, or some other members of the animal kingdom. Context is a crucial determinant in the effect of pheromones for human beings.
“It’s like saying that if you see a red light, you cannot control yourself from stopping no matter the circumstance,” McClintock said in the APA article. “Human behaviour just isn’t like that in any domain.” Touché, scientist.
Still, no one will discredit the effect of at least scent upon human beings, pheromones or no pheromones, natural or manufactured. Sure, our cognitive abilities will factor into whether the way a person smells makes us want to hit them or kiss them. But think back how closely you can associate scent with memories in your life. My grade 10 boyfriend wore Polo, and to this day I think of him every time I smell it. Burberry and salt air reminds me of a guy I dated last summer—and consequently makes me slightly volatile.
Call me shallow, but I once ended things with a guy in grade 12 because he smelled too musty. And if, while slow-dancing with a guy, I catch a whiff of a well-balanced mix of aftershave and sweat, I’ll be damned if it doesn’t do a certain something.
Pheromones or no pheromones, I say love stinks–literally.
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