Here is an article I composed that will appear in my local student newspaper sometime next semester. The publication is “The Clarion”, and the website is The Clarion. It would’ve gone earlier, but I also did this for a Newswriting course which was due after our last issue was set to be published. Anyways, I thought you guys might find this at least somewhat interesting.
I hope I posted this to the right location, as I didn’t see any others that might be applicable. Please don’t flame, even though I realize this is a bit of a futile request. I wrote this article for people who are not familiar with pheromones, and I don’t suggest someone using pheromones for going to clubs are immoral, but there were many I spoke with who did indeed see such acts as such. My goal was to increase awareness and provoke interest, while avoiding the many knee-jerk reactions I encountered. So please take that into account before you think me totally biased.
I apologize for the formatting, originally this was double spaced, but you can’t really do that in a forum post.
Pheromones: Odious Odors or Sexy Smells?
By: omitted for privacy concerns
Communication is inherently difficult between the two sexes, especially when it comes to dating. In the animal kingdom however, dating is simple. All one animal must do is release a chemical called pheromones, and other animals who pick up the smell can investigate if interested. While humans have far more developed brains then animals, we also release pheromones. Research has shown that synchronized menstruation in women is caused by pheromones, babies prefer clothing that has been worn by their mothers, and generally people are more attracted to those with compatible immune systems. Unlike animals, humans have a far more developed cerebral cortex, which likely prevents these pheromones from affecting measurable specific responses. Because of this the field has been mired in doubt and suspicion, and numerous startup companies by researchers have tried to market ‘sex pheromones’ as a magic attractant for the opposite sex. In the interest of some first hand knowledge of the effects of these nonverbal communicators, I set out to do some research.
I started by wading through the websites of those shady companies, finding just as many promises of the magical effects on women as offers for penis enlargement. However I came across a website that differed from the others by showing a greater degree of community feedback. The site, Androtics Direct, hosts a large web forum and numerous comment sections in the store. They also have an extensive product line, offering different ‘effects’ to buy. After doing some research on the forum, I decided on a few of the travel size bottles listed for several effects. I picked out one that supposedly projects a ‘youthful shine’, and another which offers ‘ammunition in the battle of the sexes’. Both products received positive reviews on the forum, with the ‘Instant Shine’ being touted as improving mood and communicating that the user is youthful. The ‘Ammunition’ apparently helps generate interest and increase confidence.
In the interest of gathering common opinion, I created a simple poll and passed it along to classmates and friends. While pheromone communication is widely accepted, the idea of someone ’buying attraction’ smacks of desperation. While I will admit that my interest in this project may have been precipitated by an interest in jumpstarting my own nonexistent love life, the idea still interested me. Those polled echoed my concerns, but were generally interested in the concept. Some scientists hypothesize that with the advent of hygiene, we now wash off a great deal of the pheromones that originally attracted others to us. Some go as far to suggest that this could be a reason as to why there are more cases of depression and loneliness now. In this case, people who bath less frequently or exercise more would see an advantage over those who were lacking those pheromones. This could be the truth behind why nerds lose to jocks, the jocks smell more. Its hard to fathom that a good deal of our social behaviors could be due to unnoticed pheromones in the air, but it could go a long way to explaining some aspects of social interaction.
When I received the pheromones, I took stock of the scents added to the bottles. They smelled of cologne, but otherwise seemed fairly innocuous. Over the course of several days I tried out the mixtures separately and together. Attempting to be somewhat scientific, I didn’t inform others of my experiment until after its completion, not wanting to create a placebo effect. The effect I noticed most was the effect these products had upon my own mood. The ’Instant Shine’ generally improved my mood, while the ’Ammunition’ prompted me to pay more attention to the opposite sex with both improving confidence to a slight degree. Others seemed to notice these changes in mood, with a coworker mentioning I looked tired on days I was not using the ‘Instant Shine’.
With first hand knowledge I found these products to be certainly interesting, but it would be hard to gauge how much of the effects I witness were attributable to a placebo effect. The difficulty arises from separating the difference between brain chemistry changes that are outwardly effected and inwardly effected. Honestly I feel that if the outcome is the same, there is little difference. Regular cologne and perfume can affect people in a similar way, by releasing a pleasant scent a person can affect moods of themselves and others. The point is that I did feel an effect, and I likely would’ve noticed an affect on others around me if I had better skills with reading people.
Whether a person uses the product to ‘prowl’ clubs or just to increase his confidence around women, is the more deciding factor in ethics then to use such products or not. If people are indeed missing critical pieces of communication to stay clean, it doesn’t seem that odd to want to replace them. Whether we could see increased popularity in the future is the question, and I think the biggest obstacle products like these face is the negative stigma against them. But the truth of the matter is far less interesting, pheromones communicate, not control. Choice is still a viable part of interaction no matter what sort of chemicals are in the air. Anyone interested in checking out Androtics Direct and their forum, can find it at Androtics Direct/SmartMones