Scent of Eros
Friday, February 26, 2010
Human Pheromones: The Scent of Eros
Some scientists tend to confuse co-existence with cause and effect. It is important to know the difference when discussing brain activation. These three articles help to illustrate the difference.
Savic, I. and H. Berglund (2010). “Androstenol – a Steroid Derived Odor Activates the Hypothalamus in Women.” PLoS ONE 5(2): e865 Information about a pathway that connects olfactory/pheromonal input (i.e., androstenol) to hormonal changes in the brain.
Cause and effect (above): The evolved neurophysiological mechanism that allows olfactory/pheromonal input from the social environment of all mammals to cause changes in behavior is detailed in an award-winning journal article that was concurrently published as a book chapter. See: The Mind’s Eyes: Human Pheromones, Neuroscience, and Male Sexual Preferences.
Co-existence (below): If there is a mechanism that allows visual input from the human social environment to cause changes in behavior, the mechanism is not known to known to exist in other mammals, or in any species.
Platek, S. M. and D. Singh (2010). “Optimal Waist-to-Hip Ratios in Women Activate Neural Reward Centers in Men.” PLoS ONE 5(2): e9042. An unknown mechanism might – if it exists — link visual input to brain activation. If brain activation occurs via this unknown mechanism, it might be associated with the development of men’s preferences for the visual appeal of a woman’s waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).
Karremans, J. C., E. F. Willem, Willem E., et al. (2010). “Blind men prefer a low waist-to-hip ratio.” Evolution and Human Behavior (in press). The visual link to brain activation associated with WHR preferences is not required for the development of this preference.
