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Scam spray? Makers of some colognes and perfumes claim that their products contain pheromones that will make wearers more sexually attractive. But Brian Ackley, professor of molecular biosciences, says there's no universal scent that everyone is attracted to. "Even if you had every known odor, you still wouldn't be able to figure it out. It's all part of the beauty of being individuals," Ackley says.
thing seems to be happening at a local strip bar.
Tori, a local erotic dancer who asked to use her stage name because of privacy issues, says most of her coworkers make more tips when they're within a week of starting their periods. "I'm not a huge believer in pheromones," Tori says. "I think a lot of it has to do with attitude and mood, but I do remember making more money when I got off birth control."
Birth control chemically tricks the body into thinking it's pregnant. Therefore, according to the theory from the study, it would make sense that Tori wouldn't make as much money as she would producing releaser pheromones for the man shelling out the bills.
INFUSED SALES PITCHES
While men and women smell each other in strip bars and dormitories, some companies are trying to convince the public that we can actually take the effects of pheromones into our own hands by putting on a pheromone-infused perfume or cologne. Pheromones are said to be made up of compounds of different chemicals. Some scientists say chemicals can then be separated and put into products to sell. "Scientists can figure out the chemical that makes something odorous and then put that chemical into the products. Predominantly it's done by chemists who synthesize compounds or separate chemicals based on different properties," says Brian Ackley, professor of molecular biosciences.
Google the word "pheromone" and you'll find about a half of a million sites pitching sales. The advertising might be witty, but you can never be certain which compound of chemicals are going to attract the majority of people. Every person has his or her own scent and chemical compounds. Therefore, the certainty of a pheromonal perfume and cologne effect actually working is pretty slim.
"There's no universal scent. Even if you had every known odor, you still wouldn't be able to figure it out. It's all part of the beauty of being individuals," Ackley says. "Although I don't have empirical evidence to prove it, I sincerely doubt that a purchased pheromone would do much good. First, it's non-directional. If you put on a 'pheromone' to attract someone, you run the risk of attracting many people you'd rather not. Second, it's much more straightforward to use other means of communication. Finally, because people have conscious control over whom they choose to have sex with, it would do no good."
Yet the market is still milking the phenomenon for all it's worth. Pherlure, a top-selling pheromone cologne, may rely on advertising skills to get your money. At pherlure.com, visitors are greeted with a video of a model who doesn't look like she's wearing a shirt. From her bare shoulders to her perfectly placed hair, the video screams sex. With her overly sultry voice, she says. "Remember, women don't base their choice of men on looks. We choose which guys we date based on a real gut-level attraction. It's
called chemistry. You either have it or you don't. Pherlure will help you gain that chemistry and increase your confidence around women."
On the site below the video it continues to talk about that "gut-level" attraction. By using Phlerlure's product, "you can make ANY woman feel that powerful attraction." As amazing as that sounds, you probably won't be able to attract any woman you want. So save your money and work on some decent pick-up lines instead.
CHEMISTRY PLAYING ITS PART
When the model on pherlure.com speaks of chemistry, she's being misleading because releaser-pheromone effects are uncertain. We don't actually have a lot of control over what another person finds attractive. Although animals are able to use pheromones, we are left with other chemicals in our brains that help us determine whom we are attracted to. Among these are phenylethylamine and dopamine.
Phenylethylamine is a natural chemical that causes sweaty palms, restlessness and nervousness when it's released in the brain. It's caused by those subtle glances and slight touches from someone we're attracted to. Along with this chemical, there is also something called dopamine, which has been dubbed "the pleasure chemical." This is what makes us feel happy and as if we're on top of the world when we meet someone we like. This powerful chemical can seem addictive, in the sense that when you don't produce enough of
it, or when you break up with your partner, you have withdrawal-like symptoms.
Dennis Dailey, professor emeritus of social welfare and sex educator, says he doesn't believe in pheromones. He is more partial to the effect the chemicals in our brains have on attraction.
Dailey says we are much more advanced than animals and that most of us are initially interested in another person based on their looks and not what they smell like. "When you walk into a room, and scan the people there, you'll know who you're attracted to within two seconds," Dailey says. He doesn't deny that people could wear perfumes that others find erotic, but pheromones are a far stretch for him. He says sight plays a bigger part in attraction than smell.
FOCUSING THE EVIDENCE
There are many theories about how people become attracted to each other. But what it comes down to is the evidence of those theories. Primer pheromones in humans, such as the synchronization of menstrual cycles, have been backed up by a lot of evidence, but releaser pheromones, the pheromones supposedly used in colognes, have no proof of actually existing in humans. Although this ability may seem like a sixth sense, pheromones may never be completely identified. Jp
DENNIS DAILEY'S ATTRACTION TEMPLATES:
Sniffing around for a significant other isn't going to cut it. According to Dennis Dalley, everyone has an instant attraction to someone who may be physically attractive. We all have different opinions of what we find attractive. One person could find blondes more attractive than brunettes, but another person could think the opposite. In other words, we all have our own "attraction templates." These templates resemble targets because the type of person we find most attractive is at the very center. Then, the outer rings that grow farther from the center represent decreasing attraction levels. So whoever isn't in the very center of your attraction template will never be as attractive as the person who is in the center, no matter how nice he or she smells.
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