Are pheromones the secret to being sexy? Maybe. Here's how they work.
Can the way your date smells tell you if they're a good or bad partner for you? Actually, maybe.
It's because of something called pheromones. While more research needs to be done to determine exactly how important these chemicals are in human attraction, experts say initial findings seem to show they likely play at least somewhat of a role in determining who you find attractive.
"The totality of the research makes me believe that there's probably something there, and it's probably subtle and nuanced, which I think is the reason that we don't always find it in every study that looks at it," says Sarah Hill, a research psychologist specializing in women, health and sexual psychology.
What are pheromones?
Pheromones are chemicals that humans and animals secrete that serve as signals to nearby organisms. The thinking is that your pheromones communicate a lot information about you to people nearby, all unconsciously, through smell.
Scientists theorize that your pheromones might give people information about your hormone health, such as your testosterone levels, or how genetically compatible your are to someone − and, therefore, how healthy your children will be if you mate with them. If someone's genes are more dissimilar, they're more likely to be genetically compatible and, therefore, secrete pheromones that draw you to them − or so the logic goes.
Hill says studies that have looked at pheromones in relation to humans have had contradictory findings. Some show that pheromones do make a difference, while others show they don't. It's a tricky phenomenon to study, but she says that, based on what scientists do know about biology and mating behavior, pheromones probably do influence us, at least a little bit. Some research, she adds, also suggests women may be more sensitive to potential partners' smells − and perhaps also their pheromones − than men are.
The effect someone's pheromones have on others is also going to vary from person to person. "Somebody might have a scent that's really desirable to you but not to other folks," Hill says. "It's really desirable to you in particular, because that person is genetically compatible with you specifically."
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Do pheromones really matter?
Though scientists still have questions about human pheromones, that hasn't stopped companies from trying to cash in on the phenomenon.
The Athena Institute, for instance, sells pheromone formulas, priced at nearly $100 each, that allegedly "increase the romance in your life by enhancing your 'sex appeal,' " according to the company's website. Just put a bit of the concoction in your perfume or cologne, the website says, and watch your sexual attractiveness skyrocket.
Amy Chan, a dating coach and author of "Breakup Bootcamp: The Science of Rewiring Your Heart," isn't sold on the importance of pheromones in dating. Still, she gave The Athena Institute's product a try.
"Did it work?" she says. "I might have noticed more attention from my boyfriend and when I was out and about − but it's quite possible that I was being biased and just noticing attention more than usual because I was wearing the potion."
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It's unlikely a cosmetic product can replicate or enhance someone's natural pheromones; however, smelling good in general is still important for attraction.
Hill says research suggests a little bit of cologne can go a long way for some men. For men with high testosterone, however, cologne doesn't seem to have an effect on their attractiveness. Is this because cologne mimics what pheromones do? Maybe, maybe not.
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Blaine Anderson, a dating coach for men, encourages her clients not to stress about their pheromones. As long as you're hygienic and smell good, your time is better spent improving areas of your dating life that you can control.
"If someone is thinking, 'Oh, it's my pheromones that are the problem,' it's probably more of a problem that you're not creating chemistry, rather than your pheromones," she says. "Outside of worrying about being clean and smelling fresh, worrying about your pheromones isn't something that I would spend time even really thinking about."