How Are Pheromones Used in Humans?
Animals have an organ called the vomeronasal organ, or VNO, that allows them to perceive each other's pheromones. Humans have this organ, too, but scientists have not proven its role in the perception of pheromones in humans.
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Identification
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The Pherolist, hosted by Cornell University, defines pheromones as chemicals that living organisms give off in order to send messages to others of the same species.
Function
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Often, animals use pheromones for mating purposes. Humans may, as well. According to Colorado University, perfume manufacturers use several types of animal and human pheromones, of unknown effectiveness, in perfumes.
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Theories and Speculation
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Michael Meredith, in the Oxford Journal of Chemical Senses (2001), explains that research on the human vomeronasal organ has not shown it connects to the nervous system in any useful fashion, but other kinds of biological signaling could cause the effects researchers have seen in experiments.
Significance
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Odors or pheromones in humans definitely send signals, regardless of how they do it. The best-known study showed that the body odor of menstruating women causes hormone level changes in other women, according to a Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota, study.
Potential
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Humans and other animals have the tendency to choose mates with different immune genes in order to create offspring with the most effective possible immune system. A study done using blind tests of worn T-shirts showed that women will choose T-shirts worn by men with different immune genes. The presence of human pheromones could be responsible.
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References
- Photo Credit Human nose macro shot image by Gleb Semenjuk from Fotolia.com
