Ever wonder what makes you attracted to a person? Where the saying “love is in the air” may have sprouted from or why there’s a “feeling” during Valentine’s day? There has been a long debate by scientists as to whether “love” is literally in the air. Well, there is something in the air and it’s chemicals called pheromones. 

An evolutionary perspective has shown that living organisms have a method of attracting a mate. While some animals like peacocks use physical appearance, dancing with their beautiful feathers, most other species use chemical signals. Animals, plants and even some bacteria produce chemicals called pheromones. The term was first derived around 1960 with the identification of a powerful aphrodisiac called bombykol. It is a pheromone, secreted by female silk moths that can be detected over a kilometer away. Just a few molecules of bombykol is enough for a female silk moth to attract a male. While human pheromones are still in early stages of research, the first step focuses on body odor. Gradual physiological changes, such as the female moth releasing bombykol, is called a primer and the behavioral response, such as a smitten male moth, is called a releaser. Analogous comparison to humans is that the release of specific pheromones, the primer, can cause a newborn infant to be guided to a mother’s breast by that scent. 

It has been concluded that each individual organism produces a mixture of chemicals unique to them and here is why: an important immune system protein called histocompatibility complex (MHC) found in each individual human being. You can think of it as a “fingerprint” for the uniqueness of the biological and environmental differences in each person. It is said that sexual attraction is strongest between those with the most unlike MHC. The complex cloud of smells and aromas we emit stimulates olfactory cues that cause reactions of chemistry of individuals we find most pleasant. The MHC theory was tested in 1995 where a group of females smelled worned t-shirts by men. Most women chose the shirt with whose smell they found most attractive, which were worn by the man of the most dissimilar MHC. The test was repeated in 2005 and provided similar results. 

Compatibility is still a debatable subject in which some works suggest different immune profiles provide the most attractions, while other work suggest that “like attracts like”. Research has also shown that endogenous androstane steroids, particularly androstenedione, is characterized as a pheromone primer secreted by men that attracts women. It can be found in axillary sweat and other bodily secretions; also known as sweat. It is said that male pheromones also play a role of mating selection through the attributions to facial and bodily features. This can be evident from a female’s primer. 

Histocompatibility can already be analyzed but as the understanding of pheromones and attraction matures, more idealistic studies will arise to provide more concrete evidence. The understanding of bodily chemical release and what makes two people attracted to one another can lead to more effective matchmaking platforms than our current dating applications. 

References:

Verhaeghe, J., Gheysen, R., & Enzlin, P. (2013). Pheromones and their effect on women's mood and sexuality. Facts, views & vision in ObGyn, 5(3), 189–195.

Hadhazy, A. (2012, February 13). Do Pheromones Play a Role in Our Sex Lives? Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pheromones-sex-lives/