# Congruence? What's That? **URL:** \ **Category:** Pheromone Theory & Molecules\ **Created:** [March 8, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805 "2008-03-08T19:54:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![40ish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/ecc23a/32.png) [@40ish](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/40ish)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/41 "2008-08-05T04:00:05Z")
Fascinating subject! I like the way I feel when my testosterone levels are high. I have to take something for that to happen. Am I being incongruent with God’s plan for my life? Or did he know that I would do such a thing? If congruency means being natural and not supplementing, I guess I am incongruent with my nature. I like the confidence and mental focus I get with high testosterone. I’m sure it changes my behavior and the behavior of people around me. Will I screw myself up? Probably. But I am a scientist and explorer so I will continue to improve myself, hopefully without hurting someone else. The question is…am I hurting other people by the chain of events I’m starting by going against Mother Nature? This brings up another topic…subconscious manipulation. But we’ll leave that for another discussion. ---
**Author:** ![renny](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/renny/32/2104_2.png) [@renny](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/renny)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/42 "2008-08-05T14:25:23Z")
> [@40ish](#): > > Fascinating subject! I like the way I feel when my testosterone levels are high. I have to take something for that to happen. Am I being incongruent with God’s plan for my life? Or did he know that I would do such a thing? If congruency means being natural and not supplementing, I guess I am incongruent with my nature. I like the confidence and mental focus I get with high testosterone. I’m sure it changes my behavior and the behavior of people around me. Will I screw myself up? Probably. But I am a scientist and explorer so I will continue to improve myself, hopefully without hurting someone else. The question is…am I hurting other people by the chain of events I’m starting by going against Mother Nature? This brings up another topic…subconscious manipulation. But we’ll leave that for another discussion. Testosterone makes tangible changes to your body. Pheromones are cosmetic. I’m not making a judgement, I just want to be sure the difference is understood. Pheromones are not hormones. Some pheromones are metabolites (byproducts or waste products) of hormones. High amounts of testosterone metabolites in your sweat would be congruent with someone who supplemented with testosterone. ---
**Author:** ![40ish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/ecc23a/32.png) [@40ish](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/40ish)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 12:49am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/43 "2008-08-06T00:49:49Z")
My theory is that high testosterone levels = high androstenone levels. Since there is no way of measuring androstenone levels that I know of, this will remain theory. But from my research of testosterone levels and animal behavior, high testosterone levels usually equate with alpha-male behavior. Since males do not normally attack females, the females must be reacting to something other than aggression, probably pheromones. So to be congruent with wearing pheromones, I will try to keep my testosterone levels high. Now I might not need to, since my body might crank up the production of pheromone. Which leads me to another theory-is the production of pheromones and their unknown perception to the brain a feedback loop? From the comments I’ve seen on the forum, maybe so. Only experimentation will tell. 40ish ---
**Author:** ![AMUncensored](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/amuncensored/32/497_2.png) [@AMUncensored](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/AMUncensored)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/44 "2008-11-03T22:28:18Z")
I deeply agree with this subject, Renny. It goes basically with women/men not wanting a ‘fake’ partner. The initial attraction may be strong but if you cannot back up what attracted them, they will realize it and leave. If somebody buys alpha and has an arrogant attitude, it is mixing things up. She will be looking for solid confidence, not blatant arrogance. These should just be used to bring attention to your true self not something fake. ---
**Author:** ![magicj76](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/magicj76/32/1858_2.png) [@magicj76](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/magicj76)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 9:14am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/45 "2008-11-05T09:14:28Z")
Congruence… Nice topic for an essay ! I think important words and notions to know and understand are logic and social awareness. Society is full of stereotype, automatic responses to stimuli and stereotypes, and at the same time, self thinking… It’s crazy to think about this, but physical appearance is what can change in someone’s vision without making any objective change ! Haven’t you ever noticed how someone who is not particularly physcially attractive can attract people ? Not with money or power or even a very high dose of pheros. But just with attitude. If you look like a poor shy guy who is not self-confident with women, then accept it ! This is congruence. the first thought is “oh but if I look like that nobody will like me”. This is not congruence. Accepting oneself is a quality that many people would like to have. So when you have it, they like you because they would like to be like you. Plus, who would like to be friend - or more - with a pale copy of Brad Pitt or G.Clooney or another one ? But then, why using pheros ? I guess losers use pheros to be another copy of a famous guy to get girls. They get beeeeeeeeeeeep and that’s all, which I respect if it is the life they have chosen. I think we use pheros to see how we can improve and enhance qualities that we already more or less have. So the first step for congruence would be to find the right pheros for you. It’s not adapting your behavior to the pheros, but more finding the right pheros to enhance the qualities that you have so that people can see them better. How ? Know yourself. 24 hours a day 7day a week with yourself…don’t tell me you don’t know yourself. Then, use NLP and Tony Robbins steps. What do you want to achieve ? Set a goal. How can you ahcieve it. Imagine yourself doing it. Congruence is social awareness and logic. Would you arrive at a job interview wearing pajamas and slippers ? Would you call your male boss “miss” or “mate” or “fucking bastard” even if you think he is ? Congruence is wearing a business suit for a job interview and calling one’s boss “boss” and not fucking bastard. Last : alpha. Here in france, more and more girls don’t like pure alpha males. It’s impersonal. However, the more you fake it, the more you become it. If everyday you act like a stupid macho even if you’re not one, the mroe you fake it, the more you’ll become a stupid macho. And who knows that you’re not a stupid macho if you don’t show it’s fake ? So start thinking “well, how should I behave, not exagerating”. Don’t go into alpha like Austin Powers. lol then, it will become natural… Oh… I’m being long today… too much thinking about my order coming soon… ---
**Author:** ![Socrates](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Socrates](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Socrates)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 8:30am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/46 "2009-04-18T08:30:00Z")
> [@Socrates](#): > > Interesting topic! One thing I think that is relevant here is that you can try to ‘act congruently’ all you like, say to a high-A314 or to a high-Androstenone pheromone signature, but if your Testosterone and/or Serotonin levels are low (see below) then it will be an uphill struggle to keep the ‘act’ up… > > [Do You Mind?: Aggressive Personalities, or, The Magic of Testosterone](http://somethingincredible.blogspot.com/2007/01/aggressive-personalities-or-magic-of.html) > > "Tuesday, January 23, 2007 > **[Aggressive Personalities, or, The Magic of Testosterone](http://somethingincredible.blogspot.com/2007/01/aggressive-personalities-or-magic-of.html)** > > Last week I talked about [the role of stress hormones and the ANS in aggression](http://somethingincredible.blogspot.com/2007/01/this-past-friday-i-came-across.html). I’m particularly interested in the effects of stress on aggression because my Div III (thesis) looks at the effects of stress on another behavior, altruism. But clearly there are a lot of other factors influencing aggression. A second model of aggression is the serotonin/testosterone model. > > There are many different types of aggression, from the rough and tumble play of young siblings to horrific acts of war. Sometimes it can be hard to recognize, but it’s there, nonetheless - I’m excited by the recent focus on [aggression in middle school girls](http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Bees-Wannabes-Boyfriends-Adolescence/dp/1400047927). While there are thousands of different ways to be aggressive, researchers have found that there are two main aggressive personality types. These types are so common and so distinctive that you can easily see them in fiction as well as real life, including in the best-selling Harry Potter novels. > > James Potter is the title character’s father. Harry is an orphan, and at first, all he knows about James is that he was a star athlete, the Head Boy of his class, and that he went on to be an Auror (a glamorous sort of magical FBI agent). As Harry grows, he finds out that James wasn’t as perfect as he first seemed. James, one of the most popular boys in the school, was fond of attacking other students verbally and with magic. In one scene, he and his friend use magic to hold outcast Severus Snape upside down so his underwear is exposed for everyone to see. > > Severus Snape is one of Harry’s professors. Snape went to school at the same time as James Potter, and still hates him, even though the elder Potter has been dead for over ten years. Snape uses his position of power to pick on Harry, making him serve unnecessary detentions and verbally jabbing at the young orphan’s emotional wounds. Harry is not the only one Snape attacks, however. He also picks on Harry’s classmates, other professors, and anyone else he takes a dislike to. He often attacks even when it would be to his benefit not to, making him unpopular with most of his students and peers. > > James Potter exhibits what psychologists have termed _controlled aggression_. Controlled aggression is a dominance behavior, used by someone to advance in a social hierarchy or to maintain their high position. Controlled aggression is almost always provoked by some sort of percieved challenge by the victim. In animals, this might be a threat call or a low-ranking male’s attempt to mate with a dominant male’s female. For James Potter, it was likely Snape’s refusal to acknowledge and respect his position as the most popular boy in school. While controlled aggression is not always _justified_, it generally is a means to an end, rather than an end itself. This type of aggression is also called instrumental aggression. > > Severus Snape, on the other hand, generally exhibits _impulsive aggression_. Impulsive aggression is caused by strong emotions such as anger and is aimed at hurting someone - that is, the aggression serves no other purpose. Perhaps because of its emotional nature, impulsive aggression is more likely to be physical and violent, but it by no means always is (likewise, controlled aggression can be incredibly violent). Snape generally restricts his aggression to hurtful comments and abuse of power, but he is often described as just barely restraining himself. One gets the sense that if Snape was not afraid of being kicked out of Hogwarts (or constrained by a magical debt - don’t ask), he would have physically attacked Harry a long time ago. > > Obviously any two people, fictional or otherwise, will have other biological and environmental factors influencing their behavior. People can be both controlled and impulsive aggressors, sometimes even simultaneously. But let’s assume that James Potter and Severus Snape are perfect prototypes of the controlled aggressor and the impulsive aggressor. How do they differ, physiologically? > > Testosterone is one of the most well-known hormones, and it is certainly the substrate most associated with aggression. Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone, and its presence drives a lot of the changes that distinguish men from women. Some people explain the higher rates of aggression in males than females by calling it a secondary sex characteristic of testosterone, like one’s voice dropping, or growing facial hair. Of course, it’s not that simple. While levels of testosterone in animals are generally correlated with aggression, many studies in humans have failed to find the expected association. A study of eighteen highly aggressive young boys who had been institutionalized for their violent behavior found no abnormalities in testosterone levels when compared to healthy controls (Constantino et al, 1993). Studies of older children and adults, looking at both extreme behaviors (in institutionalized subjects) and behaviors within the norm (children rated as more aggressive by parents, teachers and peers) have failed to find a correlation (Susman et al, 1987, Olweus et al, 1988, Inoff-Germain, 1998). At the same time, a number of studies _have_ found something. In particular, James Dabbs published a number of prison studies showing that testosterone levels in inmates were correlated with the violence of the crime that landed them in jail as well as their behavior there. > > The conflicting literature left everyone a bit confused. Several theories have been proposed to explain why testosterone and aggression are only sometimes linked, including the one I’m going to talk about here: the _dominance hypothesis_. > > The dominance hypothesis is best explained by Mazur and Booth (1998). They define dominance behavior as action with the intent of achieving or maintaining status and the power, influence, and benefits that come with status. For simplicity’s sake, we can consider dominance behavior and controlled aggression to be essentially the same thing. Mazur and Booth propose that testosterone levels are only linked to dominance behavior and not other forms (ie, impulsive) aggression. > > This hypothesis has gotten a lot of experimental support. A 1996 study (Schaal et al) looked at behavioral assessments of nearly two hundred boys. While there was no relationship between testosterone and aggression _per se_, there was a strong correlation with “leadership” behaviors but no correlation with physically aggressive behaviors. Also, when previous studies are re-analyzed and types of aggressive behavior parcelled out, a pattern begins to emerge. The Olweus study cited above found testosterone was higher in those who responded to provocation (“When a teacher criticizes me, I tend to answer back and protest”) but not to simple aggressiveness (“I fight with other boys at school”). In the Inoff-Germain study, they found testosterone was linked an ability to deal with their anger and express it acceptibly and non-explosively. This did not mean they were passive. There was a signifiant negative correlation between testosterone and a failure to respond to being aggressed against. > > In response to these studies, a new physiological model was made, to distinguish between controlled and impulsive aggression. This model drew upon a body of work showing that low serotonin levels led to general impulsive behavior. **Researchers surmised that people who were impulsively aggressive had low serotonin levels. People who exhibited dominance behavior, on the other hand, were driven by testosterone. High serotonin levels allowed them to control their impulses and to use their aggression to establish dominance.** A study in chimpanzees found that unprovoked assaults and biting was associated not with high testosterone but low serotonin, and that dominance behaviors such as mounting of other males were associated with high testosterone and high serotonin levels. > > Let’s go back to our two wizards. If we were able to analyze blood samples from James and Severus - or, for even better accuracy, cerebrospinal fluid - we might expect that James would have both high serotonin levels and high testosterone levels, whereas Severus would have low serotonin. The prediction of low serotonin also fits with Severus’s description as often looking better and upset. While I would hesitate to diagnose Snape as clinically depressed, his unhappiness fits with the association between low serotonin levels and depression. > > Obviously it is a stretch to talk about the neurochemistry of fictional characters, but hopefully these examples have helped explain one of the current models of aggression for you." > [@tisha23](#): > > Interesting post visionary. I think alot of people assume that being alpha and being aggressive are the same thing. They are not. I know many alphas who I would not call aggressive at all and I know many aggressive males that are not alphas. > > You dont have to be aggressive to be congruent even with A314 . You just need to give certain simple cues thats its allright to approuch the alpha male. You also need to take on some of the leadership quailties. People tend to defer to the alpha male when they are wanting to know something or do something. They wait for cues from him. If your sitting there looking like you dont want to be approuched ( unhappy look, closed stance, wont look people in the eye, ect ect ) then your not being congruent with A314 and you wont have the best results with it. I dont consider smiling, being open and friendly, looking people in the eye, ect ect as being aggressive really. > > Its all a matter of confidence and projecting that confidence with your actions. I wouldnt call it acting and in many cases just by displaying confidence you become more confident. Congruency is matching your action not acting like something your not. > > Like I mentioned even shy people can give off enough simple cues to make a mix congruent. It really has nothing to do with being aggressive. > > Tisha > [@renny](#): > > If I understand the idea behind this, part of being congruent involves ensuring that we drink plenty of fluids, eat a healthy diet and exercise. If someone has a medical/psychophysiological condition they need to address that as best they can. Those are the things we can control. > > I don’t think it is entirely true that we are what our genes make us. Freewill plays a far more important role in who we are. I do believe that we occasionally get someone here who needs therapy more than pheromones. For most people though, I think that the most important thing is the skillset. > > Practicing the skill of making and maintaining eye contact with as many people as possible is an example. If someone is suffering from depression this could be beyond their capability until they get the depression under control. For most of us, however, eye contact is a skill that requires conscious practice for a short period of time and habitual conciousness for a longer period until it becomes second nature. > > Posture, mannerism, and speech are other skills that can be learned. I’ve certainly found that my desire to maximize the effects that I get from pheromones has been an incentive to improve these skills. > > To me being congruent means being more conscious of who I am and what my goals are and what I need to do to get there. > > Great post Visionary. This is the kind of info I was hoping to accumulate in this thread. Thanks. > [@nbully79](#): > > Visionary, what a great post! I really agree that no matter how you define alpha, you can’t just turn it on. Some have got it…probably due to their natural hormone levels…and the rest (majority) have their work cut out for them. My doubt is that there is definitely a feedback loop between your success + happiness + stress levels to your hormone levels, the reason why really successful people come across as alpha without even trying. > > I think if someone is naturally not an alpha then they can fake it by imitating the behaviors and body language of a natural alpha until their hormone levels catch up to make those traits natural. Until that happens they will always seem incongruent/uncomfortable in their skin and come across as posers. > [@bosshank](#): > > …Quote: > Originally Posted by tisha23 > _I think alot of people assume that being alpha and being aggressive are the same thing. They are not. I know many alphas who I would not call aggressive at all and I know many aggressive males that are not alphas. You dont have to be aggressive to be congruent even with A314._ > > Nor does it mean you have to be loud, obnoxious, insulting, arrogant – in short an adult version of a bully who is really a little boy posturing for one of a number of reasons – scared, attention seeking, angry at the world, etc.. > > Quote: > Originally Posted by tisha23 > _You also need to take on some of the leadership qualities._ > > This is often the heart of a real alpha. Who or what is a real leader? If you have to use the above posturing – loud, obnoxious, insulting – then it really isn’t you. People may defer to you in a social or even work setting because you are “in charge” or they are afraid of bearing the brunt of your bad behavior, but leading through constant fear is not real leadership. > > And remember – you can teach someone to be a leader. And with some experience, confidence and fine tuning they can become very good leaders. Some will become that alpha leader if they are not already and some will be still be good leaders but not really alpha. So that means that not every good leader is really an alpha type – I have seen many that are not especially in technical fields – but most alphas are leaders – or can be taught to be good ones if they are not. > > Quote: > Originally Posted by nbully79 > _I really agree that no matter how you define alpha, you can’t just turn it on. Some have got it…probably due to their natural hormone levels…and the rest (majority) have their work cut out for them. My doubt is that there is definitely a feedback loop between your success + happiness + stress levels to your hormone levels, the reason why really successful people come across as alpha without even trying._ > Quote: > Originally Posted by nbully79 > > _I think if someone is naturally not an alpha then they can fake it by imitating the behaviors and body language of a natural alpha until their hormone levels catch up to make those traits natural. Until that happens they will always seem incongruent/uncomfortable in their skin and come across as posers._ > I do not know about the hormone levels rising to match behavior. I do know that you can teach someone to be a good leader. And many of the things you teach them either are or lead directly to those behaviors we often identify with being an alpha. > > And in some cases some these new or junior leaders are in a way “faking it” until they fully integrate these leadership qualities into their persona. And that lasts until they get sufficient experience and enough success to be confident in themselves and these new skillsets. Once they have enough confidence in both then they finish integrating all that into their persona and evolve into an effective and often alpha leader… Going back to the above quoted discussion a while back, I don’t necessarily think its as simple as higher Testosterone and high Serotonin are needed to ‘act alpha’ necessarily. There are other factors though at play - for example: “**Animal studies have found that dopamine levels are reduced in timid mice (Mayleben et al., 1992) and that striatal dopamine D2 binding is decreased in lower social status monkeys (Grant et al., 1988) (although, as in the case of serotonin, the relationship between social status and dopamine function are complex rather than unidirectional).**” Now there may be some evidence of an increased success leading to increased hormones (like Testosterone) feedback loop (that nbully mentioned). Also I guess as Bosshank said: “I do not know about the hormone levels rising to match behavior. I do know that you can teach someone to be a good leader. And many of the things you teach them either are or lead directly to those behaviors we often identify with being an alpha.” However I think someone will always be ‘handicapped’ at learning to be an alpha if for example their striatal dopamine D2 binding is decreased (as was shown in the case of lower social status monkeys). I am not sure changes in the brain will always happen (like increased striatal dopamine D2 binding) as more success comes to a person and their status increases. 😕 I think if people are ‘handicapped’ at learning to be an alpha, addressing the root cause of their problem may be far more beneficial than just ‘learning to act alpha’. Trying medications or supplements to increase striatal dopamine D2 binding for example should make them ‘act like higher social status monkeys’ (well not monkeys but you know what I mean 😉). [CNSforum | An Evolutionary Perspective on Social Anxiety Disorder](http://www.cnsforum.com/clinicalresources/articles/annualreviews/sad_evolution/#Grant) **An Evolutionary Perspective on Social Anxiety Disorder** By Ms Debra Kaminer and Professor Dan Joseph Stein (This article was first published by the Lundbeck Institute in the Institute Magazine no. 6, 2003.) Social behaviour in animals, and SAD in humans, appear to be governed by similar neurobiological mechanisms Apart from specific phobia, social anxiety disorder (SAD) or social phobia is the most common of the anxiety disorders. However, its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Evolutionary approaches to social anxiety may offer a useful theoretical perspective, and interesting overlaps between animal models of social behaviour and clinical findings with SAD patients may offer some support for the role of distal evolutionary mechanisms in SAD. Clinical features and prevalence of SAD The essential feature of SAD is an excessive fear of humiliating or embarrassing oneself while being exposed to public scrutiny or to unfamiliar people, resulting in intense anxiety upon exposure to social performance situations. Feared social situations are either avoided as much as possible or create significant distress (APA, 2000). Physical manifestations of anxiety in the feared situations include a shaky voice, clammy hands, tremors and blushing. In the generalized sub-type of SAD, anxiety is associated with most social situations (including both formal performance situations such as giving a speech or speaking at a meeting, and informal social interactions such as initiating conversations, attending parties or dating); in the non-generalized sub-type, anxiety occurs only in specific social situations, such as public speaking, or eating/drinking in public, or writing in public. Prevalence rates for SAD range from 3% to 16% in various studies (Davidson et al., 1993a; Kessler et al., 1994), depending on the diagnostic instrument used and the range of social fears assessed by these measures. SAD causes a marked reduction in the patient’s quality of life and significant disability in functioning, which in turn results in substantial economic costs to both the patient and society (Stein and Kean, 2000). Evolutionary functions of social anxiety Some degree of social anxiety may be adaptive in several ways. Firstly, human and non-human primates need to be prepared to fear angry, threatening or rejecting faces (Mineka and Zinbarg, 1995; Stein and Bouwer, 1997). Social anxiety alerts us to potential threats and signals the need to activate effective coping responses. Additionally, displays of social anxiety may also serve as a coping strategy in the face of threat. In addition to the role of social anxiety in signalling and defending against potential threats, it has been argued that making a good impression on others may have an important survival function. Humans have evolved to compete for attractiveness, in order to elicit important social resources and investments from others. Some degree of social anxiety may help people to “police” their social behaviours, thus preventing social sanction or exclusion (Gilbert, 2001). The evolutionary function of social anxiety is perhaps most clearly illustrated by the phenomenon of blushing, a common feature of SAD. Darwin (1872) provided an extensive description of the blushing response in humans, noting that it involved a reddening of the face, neck and ears in response to “thinking of what others think of us”. Similarly, a more recent comprehensive review defines blushing as “a spontaneous reddening or darkening of the face, ears, neck and upper chest that occurs in response to perceived social scrutiny or evaluation” (Leary and Meadows, 1991). What is the function of blushing in situations of perceived social evaluation or threat? In the animal world, dominant and submissive status are signalled by a range of mechanisms. One such mechanism, termed appeasement displays, play an important role in indicating acceptance of the status quo to a dominant conspecific (De Waal, 1989). Humans have presumably also evolved efficient mechanisms for recognizing thoughts and emotions in other humans and responding accordingly. The blushing response, lowered gaze and nervous grin commonly displayed by SAD patients in anxiety-provoking social situations are arguably reminiscent of appeasement displays in animals. Indeed, a range of data indicate that patients with SAD misperceive information about the need for social appeasement (e.g. they have an exaggerated view of the low status of the self and the high status of others, overestimation of the social threat; Gilbert, 2001), while empirical studies have demonstrated that displays of embarrassment do mitigate the negative reactions of others (Leary et al., 1992). A false appeasement alarm, or a dysfunction in otherwise adaptive appeasement signals, may therefore underlie SAD (Stein, 2003; Stein and Bouwer, 1997). Furthermore, the demographics of blushing and SAD have substantial overlap: given that appeasement displays are more likely in subordinate members of a species, from an evolutionary perspective it is perhaps not surprising that both SAD and blushing appear to be more common in women (who still occupy a socially subordinate or submissive position in many cultures) and that SAD typically has its onset in childhood or adolescence (a developmental stage associated with low social status). Neurocircuitry and neurobiology of SAD Some support for these evolutionary theories can cautiously be drawn from findings on proximate psychobiological mechanisms in SAD. While the neurobiological underpinnings of SAD are still poorly understood (M. Stein, 1998), it appears that similar neurobiological mechanisms may underlie social behaviour in both humans and animals. A range of structures have been suggested to mediate social cognition, including the amygdala and temporal regions, the striatum, and the prefrontal and cingulate cortex (Adolphs, 2001). There are interesting data showing that SAD patients demonstrate selective activation of the amygdala when exposed to fear-relevant stimuli (Birbaumer et al., 1998) or tasks (Tillfors et al., 2001), and show abnormal patterns of amygdala activations during aversive conditioning (Schneider et al., 1999). Conversely, after lesions of the amygdala (for example, in Klüver-Bucy syndrome) there may be inappropriate loss of social fear. There is also growing evidence that striatal neurocircuits play a role in SAD: patients with SAD have a greater reduction in putamen volume with aging (Potts et al., 1994), reduced choline and creatinine signal-to-noise ratios in subcortical, thalamic and caudate areas (Davidson et al., 1993b), and decreased N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) levels and a lower ratio of NAA to other metabolites in cortical and subcortical regions (Davidson et al., 1993b; Tupler et al., 1997). Finally, increased dorso-lateral pre-frontal cortex activity has been reported during symptom provocation in a PET study of SAD patients. Given the potential involvement of the above regions in SAD, it can be postulated that the serotonin system, which extends to both amygdala and cortico-striatal neurocircuits, plays an important role in the mediation of social anxiety. Serotonin plays a central role in mediating social behaviour in animal models: reduction of serotonin function leads to avoidance of affiliative social behaviours in primates, while enhancement of serotonergic function results in increased pro-social behaviours (Raleigh et al., 1983); and free-ranging primates with low levels of the serotonin metabolite CSF 5-HIAA have less social competence and emigrate from their social groups earlier (Mehlman et al., 1995; Raleigh et al., 1985). **In addition, however, it appears that changes in status result in a change in serotonergic function: removal of dominant animals from the group results in significant decreases in serotonin levels (Raleigh et al, 1984). The relationships between social behaviour and serotonin status are therefore complex and bi-directional.** **In humans, there are also some (not altogether consistent) data to suggest that increasing serotonergic activity is associated with an increase in social affiliation (Knutson et al., 1998).** A role for serotonin in SAD has been suggested by the results of pharmacological challenges with serotonergic agents (Tancer et al., 1994) and by the successful treatment of SAD with the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (van der Linden et al., 2000). While little is known about the effects of SSRIs on the functional neuroanatomy of SAD, there is some evidence that SSRI treatment leads to reduced activity in amygdala-hippocampal-, frontal- and cingulated regions in SAD patients (Furmark et al., 2002; van der Linden et al., 1999). There is more substantial evidence for the involvement of the dopaminergic system in social anxiety. **Animal studies have found that dopamine levels are reduced in timid mice (Mayleben et al., 1992) and that striatal dopamine D2 binding is decreased in lower social status monkeys (Grant et al., 1988) (although, as in the case of serotonin, the relationship between social status and dopamine function are complex rather than unidirectional).** In humans, low cerebro-spinal fluid dopamine is correlated with introversion among depressed patients, while homovanillic acid (a dopamine metabolite) is lower in panic disorder patients with SAD than in those without. Patients treated with dopamine blocking agents may develop an increase in social anxiety symptoms (Pallanti et al., 1999). Furthermore, there is an association between low striatal D2 binding and detachment, and between certain dopamine D2 and dopamine transporter polymorphisms and avoidant/schizoid behaviour. Functional brain imaging studies have further demonstrated that striatal dopamine re-uptake site densities are markedly lower in SAD patients than normal controls (Tiihonen et al., 1997), and that striatal D2 receptor binding is lower in SAD patients than in controls (Schneier et al., 2001), suggesting that SAD is characterized by decreased dopamine function. Conclusion While social anxiety may serve an adaptive function in recognizing and responding to social threat, and in eliciting important resources, SAD may constitute a “false alarm” that activates appeasement responses in the absence of threat. Social behaviour in animals, and SAD in humans, appear to be governed by similar neurobiological mechanisms. Evolutionary perspectives therefore provide a useful impetus towards the development of a solid theoretical framework for approaching SAD, and animal models offer potential as a means to better understand its pathogenesis. ---
**Author:** ![otter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/898d66/32.png) [@otter](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/otter)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/47 "2009-05-24T03:13:45Z")
K24,Markl,Amuncensored,40ish,Daedelus76,Socrates,Trish23,renny,Nbully79,andbosshank My only thought ? is this whatabout the food , water, sleep and chemicals "we ingest " daily.. effect the brain chemistery and actions… ---
**Author:** ![otter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/898d66/32.png) [@otter](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/otter)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/48 "2009-05-24T03:15:03Z")
with the Pheros… ---
**Author:** ![Kramer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kramer](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Kramer)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 1:05pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/49 "2009-06-13T13:05:49Z")
I just read about congruence in here and now I feel like I’ve wasted a lot of money for pheromones which don’t fit to me. Maybe it would be helpful to add to every pheromone a certain character who this pheromone would fit to. You could for example pick characters from famous movies. For example “this pheromone fits to you if you’re like Vin Diesel in triple X” or something like that. This way you would directly get a sense of it and could easier decide if you’re like the pheromone or not. Cause I’m definitely not a Vin Diesel type of guy. I guess I won’t have much success with nones. ---
**Author:** ![renny](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/renny/32/2104_2.png) [@renny](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/renny)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/50 "2009-06-13T14:46:49Z")
@Otter, good health means you feel your best, and can therefore be at your best! @Kramer, there are a lot of opinions in this thread and while some take a harder look at what it means to be ‘Alpha’ that doesn’t mean you have to be Rhett Butler to wear TUTH. It does mean that if you are having trouble with it, try channeling a little Rhett (or Vin Diesel, or perhaps even Bill Clinton). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kramer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kramer](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Kramer)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/51 "2009-06-13T17:05:11Z")
> [@renny](#): > > @Kramer, there are a lot of opinions in this thread and while some take a harder look at what it means to be ‘Alpha’ that doesn’t mean you have to be Rhett Butler to wear TUTH. It does mean that if you are having trouble with it, try channeling a little Rhett (or Vin Diesel, or perhaps even Bill Clinton). 🙂 Maybe you’re right. But actually those men who smell more attractive to women are those who have more testosterone and testosterone affects a lot of things, how you act and so on. If you spray on the pheromones and smell like someone who has a lot of testosterone then you’re still lacking the effects of the high testosterone itself and this is something you cannot compensate or fake. I think that’s problematic. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfishgrin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/wolfishgrin/32/1082_2.png) [@Wolfishgrin](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Wolfishgrin)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/52 "2010-09-03T16:46:59Z")
That’s not exactly the case… High testosterone can help with those women that, when they were very young and first starting to imprint on their fathers and brothers (if applicable), learned that was the kind of men they are comfortable with in their lives and the pherosignature they projected is a big part of that. But I know a LOT of girls that are repelled by high testosterone men. Some ladies really go for the more sociable savvy guys, because again that’s what they imprinted with when they were growing up. That’s why your pherosignature sometimes doesn’t click with certain girls. That’s not what they’re looking for in a man. ---
**Author:** ![Fly\_So\_Hi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Fly\_So\_Hi](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Fly_So_Hi)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/54 "2011-02-19T20:03:14Z")
Thanks to everyone for this post! It has really really added something. :)Special thanks to Renny, Visionary & Tisha. The sequence of these three post give off an excellent block of knowledge: \* Renny - post #1 (Explains the areas or points one has to ballance in itself in order to have congruence and “asks for help” in clarifying it, which Visionary and Tisha do, as follows…) Visionary - post #7 (Goes deep down on the alpha’s and beta’s [Snape, impulsive agression, beta-frustration?\*\*] scientifically researched hormone-based characteristics and comes out with a straight answer.) Tisha - post #8 (Concludes the line of thinking of posts #1 and #7 and demistifies the alpha male character, giving simple “trait corrections” one has to perform in order to convey an alpha personality.) _Thanks also to Nbully and Rattlesnake, wich provide the following complementary block of knowledge:_ Nbully - post#4 (Gives us examples of congruence and the margin of error you might work with when congruing. By margin of error, i mean 2 things: 1st, the “positive margin” of error, as in “-Even if you’re not so congruent at first, even if you’re trying to, the self-effects of the mones will help you walk around that, like giving you more confidence or a talkative vibe [depending on the hormone used, of course].” And 2nd, the “negative margin” of error you may have if you don’t pay attention and control your self-effects, like beeing way too cocky maybe?\*\*) Rattlesnake - post#5 (Big big help suggesting you bring up your indivudual “Alpha-ness”. Really valuable idea. I think one might use this forever in every situation that demmands it, i mean, even without pheromones.)\* Please, if i said something out of logic, i’d very much like to be corrected. Thanks to everyone! Bye bye! ---
**Author:** ![okyoureabeast](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/okyoureabeast/32/1395_2.png) [@okyoureabeast](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/okyoureabeast)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/55 "2012-01-04T18:32:44Z")
Congruency is just really acting. I took an acting class way back in high school. I found this to be highly effective in conveying the “picture” that pheromones project. ---
**Author:** ![bosshank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@bosshank](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/bosshank)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/56 "2012-01-05T03:41:32Z")
> [@okyoureabeast](#): > > Congruency is just really acting. > > I took an acting class way back in high school. I found this to be highly effective in conveying the “picture” that pheromones project. It can be acting - especially for the shy person who is trying to act confident until they actually become confident based on successful interactions. But a lot of behavior is not acting so much as dependent on the situation. And the pheros you may be wearing for that situation. For work I like A314 and IH. And my behavior at work is congruent with the situation and the phero tools I wear to support that. On the other hand I might go with [Ammo](https://a314.com/product/ammo/) and A314 for a semi-formal night out with Mrs. BH. My behavior matches the nice restaurant and the mones. Or if we go out to a nightclub and I am wearing an ICM mix … my behavior will be congruent with the situation. In no case am I acting. I am a multi-faceted person and mature enough to adjust my behavior to the situation. I am wearing the mones that support each situation and my behavior is congruent to the situation and the mones. ---
**Author:** ![Radix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Radix](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Radix)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805/57 "2012-01-06T19:32:56Z")
I completely agree with Boss on this one; I’ve seen “acting” several times and think that for most newbs like myself it gives an incorrect impression with negative connotations suggesting extrapolating points of a conman’s act. I think it’s much more about becoming the persona you wish to portray rather than acting a role. Acting is feeling internally contrary to that which you’re portraying. Which boils down to a very simple concept to me…loyalty. Loyalty is usually viewed as an internal force projected toward an external target. However, loyalty to one’s self is of paramount value because without being loyal to one’s self first, loyalty to anyone or anything else isn’t possible. Without the genuine belief in your actions, they are…just an “act” however noble they might be. The way I’m trying to envision this is phero’s are tools to help one achieve that next level of loyalty to one’s self. Helping one portray that which they wish, their “true” self, but have been hence forth unable to. Which in turn falls into another reoccurring verbiage I’ve seen paraphrased several ways on these boards. The goal is to positively influence both ourselves and those around us as well: not one or the other. Taking only one or the other would genuinely turn it into a con; whether it be to fool yourself, or someone else doesn’t matter. It’s still a con. Taking both together is the key. Simplified congruence to me would be this: a consistent representation of the real you. Consistency with personality, sense of style, pheros, physical self, as well as verbal and mental acuity. If I’m completely off here someone slap me with a large trout and tell me to back to the thinking corner and come back when I have more brain cells to rub together. [Previous page](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/congruence-whats-that/9805.md?page=2)