Human Pheromones: an Introduction

The term pheromone comes from two Greek words: pherein ("to transfer") and hormon, which means "to stimulate". Pheromones are aromatic chemical compounds released by one individual that affect the sexual physiology and behavior of another individual.

Since 1870 scientists have known about pheromones and recorded the effects of pheromones on mating in insects and other animal species. In 1986 the scientists proved the existence of human pheromones and began to document their effects on humans.

Humans cannot consciously detect another person's pheromones, i.e. we can't "smell" them in the traditional sense. But, if pheromones are undetectable by the human sense of smell, how can people be influenced by pheromones? The answer is that pheromones are detected by an organ inside the nose called the vomeronasal organ (VNO). The VNO passes the signals that pheromones send, on to the part of the brain which governs some basic human sensations, like love, hate, anger and, of course, sexual arousal.

Male pheromones play a role in maintaining the health of women, especially the health of the female reproductive system. Researchers have found that women who have sex with men at least once a week are more likely to have normal menstrual cycles, fewer infertility troubles and a milder menopause than women who have sporadic sex.

If you're looking for the woman or man of your dreams, remember that pheromones in your body scent are playing a large role in mate attraction. People who use commercial pheromone products claim that the product (pheromone perfume, cologne or oil) they use increases their attractiveness to members of the opposite sex. Also, one of the most important effects of pheromones is in their ability to make the wearer of the pheromone cologne feel confident. But it's not just sexual attraction that is increased by wearing pheromones. Users of pheromone perfumes report that people pay more attention to them and are generally more friendly to them.