Posted on 02/10/2007 3:29:45 PM PST by NormsRevenge
A chemical in male sweat can boost mood, brain activity and sexual arousal in heterosexual women, according to a new study released just in time for Valentine's Day.
The study offers the first direct evidence that humans secrete a scent that can affect the physiology of the opposite sex, said researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. Their findings were published this week in The Journal of Neuroscience.
"This is the first time anyone has demonstrated that a change in women's hormonal levels is induced by sniffing an identified compound of male sweat," said study leader Claire Wyart, a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley. "There is much more going on than we think when we are smelling body odor."
The study conducted last year involved 48 undergraduate women who took 20 sniffs from a bottle containing androstadienone, a compound found in male perspiration and other bodily secretions.
The researchers measured the women's levels of the stress hormone cortisol and compared them to the women's responses to a control odor. Cortisol levels in the women rose within about 15 minutes of inhaling the androstadienone scent and remained elevated for more than an hour, UC Berkeley researchers found.
They also discovered that blood pressure, heart rate and breathing increased, mood improved and sexual arousal was boosted.
While the compound can make women feel more positive and sexually aroused, it's still unclear how it affects their behavior, Wyart said.
"Humans are more complex," she said. "You cannot expect them to have stereotypical responses like rodents."
I know a lot of women who, when their man is away, admit that they smell his shirts or his pillow. Always struck me as a little primal from a gender that is "sugar and spice" and all that.
Last weekend I had to fly to Sioux Falls to take care of a personal matter. I went to T.F. Green, cleared security, boarded the plane to Chicago, and took my seat. As I began to settle in, I glanced up and saw the most beautiful woman walking down the aisle. She headed straight for me and got into the seat next to mine.
I said, “Hello.” And helped he put her carry-on bag into the overhead compartment. She asked where I was headed. I told her I was bound for Sioux Falls to take care of some business. I then asked her if she was traveling for business or pleasure.
She turned, smiled, and said, “Business, I’m going to the Annual Nymphomaniacs of America Convention in Chicago.”
I swallowed hard not knowing what to say. Here was the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen sitting next to me and she was going to a meeting for nymphomaniacs! I struggled to maintain my composure. I asked as calmly as I could, “What’s your
business role at the convention?”
“I am the lead lecturer,” she responded. “My lecture is based on information I learned in my own personal experiences that debunk some of the popular myths about sexuality.”
“Really?” I asked. “And what kinds of myths have you debunked?”
“Well,” she explained, “one popular myth is that African-American men are the most well-endowed of all men, when in fact it is the Native American Indian who is most likely to possess that trait. Another popular myth is that Frenchmen are the best lovers, when actually it is the men of Scottish descent that are the best. I have also discovered that the lover with the absolutely best stamina is the Southern Redneck.”
Suddenly the woman became a little uncomfortable and blushed. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I shouldn’t really be discussing all this with you. I don’t even know your name.”
“Let me introduce myself. I am Tonto, Tonto McTavish” but all my friends call me Bubba.”
I am Tonto, Tonto McTavish” but all my friends call me Bubba.”
I bet you are.. LOLOL
By golly, you've found it!
I knew there was something left out of that new civic center complex.... Just couldn't put my finger on it.
Elk Barns!
And my husband found it hard to believe that I was most attracted to him when he came back from a week in the field (Army) :-)
Maybe they used a sexual arousal meter? Mfg by Sieman's Corp, I think????
Try some Old Spice, next time.
I'm lost right there, but then again, I'm a guy. The smell of other guys makes me want to hurl. Literally.
When a guy works hard, he sweats. So get off the couch, y'all. That's what we like to see.
Wait a sec. You're telling me girls LIKE it when the big fat sweatty guy in the tank top sits next to them on an airliner? I refuse to accept that.
" 40ish with a plummer's crack.'
I'm sorry, but you mustn't say that anymore. The accepted terminology is "going-away cleavage." Thank you.
No no no. Of course we don't. This article is a little misleading.
There is a chemical that is secreted in sweat. It is most commonly found around the nipples, in the armpits, and is found also in the urine of the male. The truth is it doesn't actually have an odor by itself; it just accompanies various secretions (like sweat and skin oil) that do have an odor. Women find this chemical arousing.
It's probably not a coincidence that women like men who are taller than they are. It means that we're at the right height so that when we rest our heads on a man's chest or reach up for a kiss, some of the chemical from his nipples and chest hair comes to our noses and excites us further.
We do not like sweat per se. We like this chemical, and we like the scent that comes from our beloved. In fact many of us prefer that a dear man not wear cologne because it covers up his scent.
I love Mr. Fairview's scent, but not slimy sweat. I told him on our second date that I was unhappy that he was wearing cologne, and explained why. And now I dislike it when he comes home from a prolonged business trip and has been using different soaps and eating different food. He doesn't smell like himself at all, and it seems weird. It takes him a good 24 hours at home before he gets his usual slight smell back.
Forget all the sweating, just give me a bottle of syntetic androstadienone.
I'm going to stand in front of the nearest "Hooters" restaurant and do jumping jacks.
Best headline ever.
:)
Primal? Well go to hell that's EXACTLY what it is!
This is bad because ....?
Another poster mentioned smelling a guy's shirts when he's away....yeah, I do that! A guy has a smell I tell ya. And I know it. Again, this is bad because ....?
Get a grip. It's a heterosexual female thing. I am quite proud to be a member.
This is bad because ....?
I don't recall saying anything about it being "bad." I wonder why you're getting so defensive ...
Another poster mentioned smelling a guy's shirts when he's away....yeah, I do that! A guy has a smell I tell ya. And I know it. Again, this is bad because ....?
Again, I never said it was. I said it was "primal." It is usually we men who are accused of being the "animal" in the mating game. It would appear that there is something of the beast in women as well, metaphors from popular nursery rhymes notwithstanding.
Get a grip. It's a heterosexual female thing. I am quite proud to be a member.
Hysteria is also a trait historically attributed to females. It would appear justified in at least one instance. "Get a grip" yourself.
Oh come on.
I was excited...just phrasing things wrong.
Again, I am surprised that they do studies for these kinds of things. It seems so natural.
My "arguments" were more against the concept of this "studying the obvious" thing than against anything you said.
I'll allow as my original response to you could be misunderstood but your response was brutally mean. And sexist too.
In another era we could be friends.
But...moving on....
Hardly.
But let's just grant that this is all based on a misunderstanding. I thought you were talking to me.
Clean slate.
I think you are thinking about that mens cologne that they put pheromones from pig sweat in. I can't remember the name but it was in the late seventies.
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