# "Why did women prefer the odors of men who had high cortisol level?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Studies & Abstracts\ **Created:** [November 12, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873 "2006-11-12T05:12:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![XDragonX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/6f9a4e/32.png) [@XDragonX](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/XDragonX)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 6:12am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/21 "2006-11-30T06:12:31Z")
haha women are drawn to men who are stressed. Wow that somehow seems highly unlikely to me because well I’m 18 and I’m already so stressed that I’ve had gray hair before and yea women aren’t flocking to me =( ---
**Author:** ![m3turbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@m3turbo](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/m3turbo)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/22 "2008-01-18T20:08:31Z")
Most Male pheros are testosterone byproducts. Is it possible that high cortisol levels are indicative of a body that has well regulated cortisol, whichwomen are ttracted to rather than a stressed out guy. I just can’t imagine women being attracted to a man who adds to their anxiety by being stressed out. ---
**Author:** ![jonno101](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/jonno101/32/367_2.png) [@jonno101](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/jonno101)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/23 "2008-02-23T23:06:03Z")
This is Great News…for me! My saliva test says I’ve got very high cortisol levels (been high for couple years after relationship problems, neighbour problems, work problems and a dislodged nerve root. I’ve recently thought I’ve had high levels of none or something, but this report suggests otherwise. Thanks fro posting this - I will look into it some more. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Socrates](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Socrates](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Socrates)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2008, 8:17am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/24 "2008-02-26T08:17:54Z")
> [@jonno101](#): > > This is Great News…for me! > > My saliva test says I’ve got very high cortisol levels (been high for couple years after relationship problems, neighbour problems, work problems and a dislodged nerve root. > > I’ve recently thought I’ve had high levels of none or something, but this report suggests otherwise. > > Thanks fro posting this - I will look into it some more. 🙄 Jonno, Do you feel your ‘natural pheromone signature’ has improved since you’ve had higher cortisol levels - have you had more ‘magnetism’ from people in the last few years compared to before? Are you getting Androstenone-like hits without any artificial [pheromones](https://a314.com/shop/) at all (ie. more respect, aggression sexual and otherwise from others)? Also just because you’ve had lots of problems in the last few years it doesn’t necessarily mean that your cortisol levels are high from that. Unless you have had a test done years before, there is no way to tell if your cortisol levels have always been relatively ‘high’ or if they have just shot up in recent years… ---
**Author:** ![jonno101](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/jonno101/32/367_2.png) [@jonno101](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/jonno101)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/25 "2008-02-27T22:53:10Z")
Visionary - you’ve hit the nail on the head. ‘Magnetism’. B4 finding Androtics I attributed it to Pherlure, but since coming to theis forum I’ve realised that no one else thinks Pherlure works - too weak. (see my other posts to ‘Have you tied Pherlure, Axe, Tag, etc’) So now I know what else it could be! Certainly more IOIs (even without the mones) only Pherlure. Sexual - yes, aggression - not so much. If anything, much less respect - hence my love of A314 now. You are right, my cortisol levels might always have been on the high side as this was the first test I’ve ever taken. The test did suggest that the ‘elevated’ levels could be ‘normal’ for me. But for someone of my age and relative fitness, 3 of the 4 samples were outside of the acceptable range. Let me know if you want to know the numbers - I can dig out the test results, if it helps. This is fascinating ---
**Author:** ![Socrates](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Socrates](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Socrates)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 11:41am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/26 "2008-02-28T11:41:46Z")
> [@jonno101](#): > > Visionary - you’ve hit the nail on the head. ‘Magnetism’. B4 finding Androtics I attributed it to Pherlure, but since coming to theis forum I’ve realised that no one else thinks Pherlure works - too weak. (see my other posts to ‘Have you tied Pherlure, Axe, Tag, etc’) > > So now I know what else it could be! > > **Certainly more IOIs (even without the pheromones) only Pherlure. Sexual - yes, aggression - not so much. If anything, much less respect - hence my love of A314 now.** > > You are right, my cortisol levels might always have been on the high side as this was the first test I’ve ever taken. The test did suggest that the ‘elevated’ levels could be ‘normal’ for me. But for someone of my age and relative fitness, 3 of the 4 samples were outside of the acceptable range. > > Let me know if you want to know the numbers - I can dig out the test results, if it helps. > > This is fascinating Thanks Johno I am not sure what you ment for some of the comments you made (I bolded what I couldn’t really get). I’ve never tried Pherlure but from my reading it does work to some extent though it is inconsistent between different bottles (ie. some bottles are duds while others do something). So in the interests of keeping eliminating some of the variables, I would be interested in hearing about your life in the past minus any pheromones at all (without Androtics products and without Pherlure). **Are you saying that minus any [artificial pheromones](https://pheromonelabs.com/) at all (minus Pherlure as well) you were someone who had some kind of sexual magnetism but who did not command much respect or feelings of aggression from people?** What do you look like (are you tall or short, muscular, overweight or slim, good looking or not so much), are you a very social person or more introverted, and anything else you wish to tell us about the way you were/are. Now if you had plenty of ‘sexual magnetism’ and were an ‘average looking guy’ with ‘average social skills’ and ‘average game with the ladies’ the high cortisol levels may possibly have something to do with your ‘sexual magnetism’. I would also be interested in your hormone test numbers as you suggested. It would be really interesting if your Testosterone levels were reasonably low while your Cortisol levels were high. I think many of the known useful pheromones are Testosterone byproducts (for example Androstenone and Alpha-Androstenol) so it would minimise the influence of that variable if your T levels were low I am theorising… ---
**Author:** ![jvkohl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/jvkohl/32/1297_2.png) [@jvkohl](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/jvkohl)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 4:45am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/27 "2008-02-29T04:45:10Z")
[Wyart C, Webster WW, Chen JH, Wilson SR, McClary A, Khan RM, Sobel N.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17287500?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum) Smelling a single component of male sweat alters levels of cortisol in women. J Neurosci. 2007 Feb 7;27(6):1261-5. “The key contribution made here is the identification of a single molecule capable of triggering the endocrine response. That AND induces endocrine changes does not suggest that it is the only constituent of sweat that can do so. Indeed, it is possible that many more of the hundreds of molecules in sweat can induce a variety of endocrine changes. And the effect of AND on cortisol levels could be enhanced or reduced when mixed with other components of sweat.” A follow-up on this study that was presented at the 2007 AChemS meeting, showed an effect on testosterone, and I expect that if the findings pass peer review they will be published soon. James V. Kohl The Scent of Eros ---
**Author:** ![jonno101](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/jonno101/32/367_2.png) [@jonno101](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/jonno101)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/28 "2008-03-08T22:56:52Z")
Visionary - sorry to take so long to get back to you - been busy and didn’t want to get back to you until I’d dug out my cortisol results. (sorry to anyone else reading who might find these results boring 😃): Adrenal strss profile (age 40-49) Sample 1 12.24 (norm. 12-22) Sample 2 7.01 (norm. 4-8) Sample 3 5.49 (norm. 3-7) Sample 4 4.05 (norm. 1-3) Night time sample elevated but S2&3 also on high side, with S1 very low. DHEA level: Sample 1 1.85 (norm. 0.2-0.6) Sample 2 2.13 (norm. 0.2-0.6) DHEA: Cortisol Ratio = 6.4 My adrenal stress type: Elevated DHEA response. The results were from a saliva test sent to a lab for results & report. Ironically I did the test on a day off from work, so actually felt less stressed than normal. 😃 Since then I’ve radically changed my diet and have de-stressed considerably, but ahven’t been back fro another adrenal test (£195 a go!) I’ve also been taking some minerals to lower my cortisol. And I have to say that I find that some Androtics products mellow me out quite nicely (IS & [Instant Openness](https://a314.com/product/instant-openness/), particualrly). But I’m not sure whether they lower my cortisol levels 🙄 > [@](#): > > **Are you saying that minus any artificial pheromones at all (minus Pherlure as well) you were someone who had some kind of sexual magnetism but who did not command much respect or feelings of aggression from people?** Precisely. I’m not ugly or anything, pretty good looking for a brown skinned guy, but I’ve been able to get IOIs from pretty women of all races (except the missus 😃) usually alot younger than me, but I look younger than my age (a surprise with high cortisol levels? - incidentally in parallel to my increasing cortisol levels with long term stress at work and at home. As the stress increased so did my outward ‘charm’ as I used to put it. During that time I noticed that I did seem to get more IOIs, without any pheromones, so perhaps there was some kind of natural production of something? (Happy to hear views on that) When I started using Pherlure I noticed an increase in IOIs. I no longer use IOIs but do find that AMMO just doesn;t seem to work for me in any combination or amount. Neither did Scent of Eros (James - hence my question in a different post about OD ins on Scent of Eros with a small [amount](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/is-it-possible-to-od-on-small-amounts-of-soe/8332/2)). All told, I still can only tolerate pretty small doses of whatever I use before I get the wrong sort of reaction - invisibility, marginalised, or touch of hostility. All of that has led me to believe that perhaps my natural production of something is already above normal levels so I don’t need much in the way of mones or move to neg. reactions quicker than lost. Does that make sense? Either way, I’m still going to use these products because I do liek the results I get when I get things right. It just means I have to be more delicate in how I balance my mixes (I’m even considering using half a spray of IFM! so as to minimise ‘the blues’) ---
**Author:** ![EnchantedApril](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/enchantedapril/32/2385_2.png) [@EnchantedApril](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/EnchantedApril)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/29 "2008-03-09T23:58:28Z")
fascinating! Of course, it could also be that women want men who are also SUPERB PROTECTORS not just providers. I often cite the scenario of we are looking for a man who will PROTECT us when we are 9 months pregnant with his child, whether we actually want or can even HAVE children at this point in our lives. THAT is something we are LOOKING for in a man’s behaviour and possibly in his pheromones. So, if he’s stressed, it could be our picking up on how he smells coming home from war having done battle for us to protect us for the day. Mmmm BABY! ---
**Author:** ![PheroQuirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@PheroQuirk](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/PheroQuirk)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/30 "2008-03-10T00:29:14Z")
jonno - sounds like it’s your dhea levels rather than cortisol levels that are elevated. dhea is the second stage in the process by which cortisol is converted to androgens (ie male hormones) although it can also end up as other things. so it’s not surprising at all to me that if you have elevated dhea you might also have elevated pheromonal production. (different from elevated cortisol production) see chart on this page [At HormoneProfile.com Hormones for ADRENAL Support Exhaustion DHEA Pregnenolone Progesterone](http://www.hormoneprofile.com/pregnenolone.htm) ---
**Author:** ![jonno101](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/jonno101/32/367_2.png) [@jonno101](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/jonno101)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/31 "2008-03-10T22:30:27Z")
Thanks for the steer and for the support guys & gals. You’ve all enlightened me much more than my nutritionist and doctor have 😃 I’m looking at the link right now. Would that explain why I only seem to be able to use nones in small amounts (1 sometimes 2 drops for A314, AMMO seems to go straight to the negative reactions - am thinking about half a spray! and even SOE bombs on me as well)? ☹ Nols are fine, of course and they are my favourite as I particularly love the self-effects. ---
**Author:** ![jvkohl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/jvkohl/32/1297_2.png) [@jvkohl](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/jvkohl)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 5:37am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/32 "2008-03-11T05:37:13Z")
From my 2006 article/2007 Book chapter: A focus on adrenal hormone metabolism, rather than on gonadal hormone metabolism, with regard to pheromone production and distribution is reasonable because mammalian pheromones are largely species-specific, and humans are unique in having adrenals that secrete large amounts of the prohormone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate, DHEA-S, into the bloodstream of males and females… The relative enzymatic activities of aromatase and other enzymes and relative levels of DHEA or its derivatives determine whether DHEA will be preferentially converted in peripheral tissues into androstenedione or androstenediol and then into potent androgens and estrogens, which is how androstenedione and androstenediol maintain a close correlation between the concentration of androgens and estrogens in the blood (Adams, 1985). Androstenedione is the principle metabolite of DHEA. The C19 steroids, androsterone (A) and etiocholanolone (E), are the enzymatically reduced metabolites of androstenedione. * * * I did extensive testing on 1mg per ml compared to 2 mg per ml androsterone and 2 mg per ml was almost always aversive. James V. Kohl Scent of Eros ---
**Author:** ![jonno101](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/jonno101/32/367_2.png) [@jonno101](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/jonno101)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/33 "2008-04-26T18:25:50Z")
Pheroquirk, would this explain why I find that I can ‘OD’ (or maybe not get full OD but negative reactions from) none after just one spray of AMMO or the like? **Pheroquirk** > [@](#): > > jonno - sounds like it’s your dhea levels rather than cortisol levels that are elevated. dhea is the second stage in the process by which cortisol is converted to androgens (ie male hormones) although it can also end up as other things. so it’s not surprising at all to me that if you have elevated dhea you might also have elevated pheromonal production. (different from elevated cortisol production) I’ve long wondered why some products (that others seem to have great results with) seem to go straight to negative reactions on me. So it’s possible I already have “elevated pheromonal” production? this isn’t a major problem, if so, as I can steer clear of the none heavy products (as I tend to do) but love the Androstenol products both for self effects a 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@tho](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/tho)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2008, 7:52am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/34 "2008-04-27T07:52:44Z")
Very, very interesting. The information in this thread is sooo profound! Oh my gosh! _Thomas runs to his room to read a few books_ ---
**Author:** ![jonno101](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/jonno101/32/367_2.png) [@jonno101](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/jonno101)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/35 "2008-04-27T22:04:13Z")
It is interesting isn’t it. Well my life - experiment, continues. As my cortisol levels are high and I’ve been advised to keep them low (high cortisol is not good for you and increases risk of a whole bunch of other medical problems), I’ve just orderd some creams recommended by Visionary that should help to reduce my DHEA problem (link in Visionary’s earlier post). Now I’m still no expert on this, but ultimately these creams should reduce my elevated DHEA (and subsequently cortisol levels?) I guess then, whilst my health should fare better, my high natural phero signature should go down to normal ☹ aaaahh. Meaning I have to spend more on pheros… Guess there’s always a downside 🆒 Can’t mess with your health though. Once the creams have had a chance to do their thing, I will report back as to whether this affects my signature, vis a vis reactions I get from AMMO & other nones that currently put my signature ‘over the edge’! Should be interesting. One thing that I’ve always thought would be brilliant would be something that could tell each of us what our personal phero signature was on a regular basis. Then we’d have a better idea what to layer on and what to avoid. Cool, huh? mHarris - if you’re reading this, I’ll order one of these gadgets when you invent it.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![blooeyz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/blooeyz/32/333_2.png) [@blooeyz](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/blooeyz)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2008, 10:39pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/36 "2008-04-27T22:39:22Z")
I had heard that people or more attracted to the smell of those who are more genetically different than they. The hypothetical reason for this is that the genetic differences will make their children have a broader immune response and thus more likely to survive and reproduce themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Socrates](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Socrates](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Socrates)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 12:02pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/37 "2008-06-01T12:02:30Z")
> [@Socrates](#): > > **Cortisol does not just equal stress.** For an example read my second post above taken from the discussion in the article: “Evolutionarily immunosuppressive hormones [like Cortisol] are said to be essential for the production of good-quality sperm since haploid sperm might be susceptible to autoimmune attacks. Thus, by preferring the scent of cortisol, women might be able to gain both good sperm and good immune genes for their offspring since only genetically immunocompetent males would be able to maintain high cortisol levels.” > > Also Cortisol isn’t all bad. Nothing in the human body is all good or all bad. For example there are diseases (like adrenal burnout perhaps) where LOW Cortisol is the culprit… [Extra Cortisol Protects Women’s Mood Under Stress](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070211200649.htm) **Extra Cortisol Protects Women’s Mood Under Stress** ScienceDaily (Feb. 12, 2007) — German researchers have found additional evidence that the stress hormone cortisol can have positive effects in certain situations. Although chronic stress, which brings long-term elevations of cortisol in the bloodstream, can weaken the immune system and induce depression, this new study adds to mounting evidence that cortisol given near in time to a physical or psychological stress may lessen the stressor’s emotional impact. Psychologists are especially interested in what this means for preventing and treating post-traumatic stress disorder. The findings appear in the February issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, which is published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Psychologists Serkan Het, MSc, and Oliver Wolf, PhD, of the University of Bielefeld, enlisted 44 healthy women for a double-blind study, in which neither researchers or participants knew the condition to which the women were assigned. One hour before a psychosocial stress test, participants were given either a 30 mg. dose of oral cortisol or a placebo. That 30 mg. dose is considered high, translating to a severe stressor. Experimenters tracked participant mood through self report, and measured their cortisol levels with a simple swab check of their saliva, before and after the psychosocial stress test. Participants were asked to give five-minute oral presentations as if interviewing for their dream job, focusing on their personal strengths and weaknesses. For the next five minutes, they had to count backwards by 17s from a very high number; every time they made a mistake, they had to start over. During both tasks, participants faced a “committee” of one man and one woman, both of whom acted cold and reserved without actually being unfriendly or rude. To heighten discomfort over being evaluated, participants spoke into microphones and knew they were being videotaped. Het and Wolf measured mood five times using two self-report questionnaires, 15 and 45 minutes participants arrived at the lab, and 1, 45, and 60 minutes after the stress test. Afterwards, the cortisol-treated women developed, on average, less negative mood states as a result of the stress-producing activity when compared with placebo-treated women. The high dose of cortisol seems to have worked as a buffer. Wolf says that whereas chronically elevated cortisol levels can be damaging to both mood and immunity, a short spike in cortisol levels may be protective. He comments, “The difference between acute cortisol elevations and chronic cortisol hyperactivity appears to be important.” Prior research has suggested that low-dose treatment with cortisol can offer relief from the core symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, in patients with social phobia exposed to a social stress situation, pre-treatment with cortisol has reduced anxiety. This new study in healthy participants adds to the growing body of evidence that cortisol may be a useful clinical tool. Says Wolf, “Our study suggests that when it comes to the negative effects of stress on the emotions, an anticipatory rise in cortisol levels prior to a stressor might help someone to cope with the stressor more efficiently. This might have implications for treating and preventing post-traumatic stress and other anxiety disorders.” Article: “Mood Changes in Response to Psychosocial Stress in Healthy Young Women: Effects of Pretreatment with Cortisol,” Serkan Het, MSc, and Oliver T. Wolf, PhD, University of Bielefeld; Behavioral Neuroscience, Vol. 121, No. 1. ---
**Author:** ![NM357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9fc348/32.png) [@NM357](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/NM357)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/38 "2008-08-09T20:23:08Z")
I wonder how the attraction to high levels of cortisol would balance out with the appearence of someone with high cortisol levels… As any athlete knows cortisol is constantly battled because it breaks down tissue (and while it may break down some fat it has a large effect on breaking down muscle tissue) and tends to deposit fat on the midsection… I’m not saying cortisol is an all evil hormone- it is essential to certain functions- but high levels of cortisone have deleterious effects on health and appearence… ---
**Author:** ![NM357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9fc348/32.png) [@NM357](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/NM357)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/39 "2008-08-09T20:29:04Z")
> [@blooeyz](#): > > I had heard that people or more attracted to the smell of those who are more genetically different than they. The hypothetical reason for this is that the genetic differences will make their children have a broader immune response and thus more likely to survive and reproduce themselves. Yet most couples are shown to have alot of common traits (interests, emotional reaction, etc.). But that may not mean they are necessarily more different genetically. Also, attraction is in part biological and part social conditioning. For example, although being VERY heavy was never considered attractive, women in the 50s who were considered ideal were heavier than the very thin ideal… I tend to be attracted to women who have a little thickness in the thighs/butt on what feels like a very instinctual level yet on another level women who look like today’s ideal are attractive (part of attraction is sometimes what you think your friends, etc. will think of your partner, wither that is right or wrong.) ---
**Author:** ![PheroQuirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@PheroQuirk](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/PheroQuirk)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873/40 "2008-08-11T21:23:41Z")
> [@NM357](#): > > Yet most couples are shown to have alot of common traits (interests, emotional reaction, etc.). But that may not mean they are necessarily more different genetically. > > Also, attraction is in part biological and part social conditioning. For example, although being VERY heavy was never considered attractive, women in the 50s who were considered ideal were heavier than the very thin ideal… I tend to be attracted to women who have a little thickness in the thighs/butt on what feels like a very instinctual level yet on another level women who look like today’s ideal are attractive (part of attraction is sometimes what you think your friends, etc. will think of your partner, wither that is right or wrong.) how do you know that phenomenon is due to social conditioning? there might be some biological signal that tells us whether it is a time of plenty or hardship. after the depression of the 30s and rationing/famine of the 40s it is not so surprising that people preferred a fuller figure. (yes, i know the US was somewhat insulated from conditions in Europe, but it was nonetheless a more difficult era). [Previous page](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873.md?page=1) [Next page](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/why-did-women-prefer-the-odors-of-men-who-had-high-cortisol-level/873.md?page=3)