Human pheromones in tears automagically effect testosterone

Automagically adv. Automatically in a way that seems magical.

Most people tend to think that human pheromones automagically effect behavior.  This form of magical thinking is appropriate for those who have little use for biologically based logic. Here’s  an example of biologically based logic:  The putative human pheromone pregna-4,20-diene-3,6-dione links increased progesterone levels to the likelihood of a signal in the tears of women. Predictably, when this signal is found, it will be one that varies with menstrual cycle phase.  That means there will be increased amount of the signal when women are menstruating (and reportedly are more prone to emotional tears).

Although this chemical was reported to act on testosterone via what turned out to be a non-functional human VNO in 1998: , the results reported here in January, 2011 continue to suggest that human pheromones act via a genetically conserved pathway in all mammals. Mammalian pheromones effect gonadotropin releasing hormone and luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone ratios, which links them to changes in levels of steroid hormones like testosterone. Changes in hormones link the pheromones to changes in behavior.

Predictably, the next report you read about pheromones in the emotional tears of women, will continue to refer to the pheromones as chemosignals, but will also mention that the chemosignals are derivatives of progesterone that automagically cause testosterone levels to decrease in men.  As long as people ignore biological facts, they can continue to assert that there are no human pheromones, just chemosignals that somehow influence human behavior in the same way that mammalian pheromones influence that behavior of all other mammals (e.g., automagically).

Those who are interested in how human pheromones cause changes in human behavior, and can tolerate learning more about biology, are directed to a recent review article:  The Mind’s Eyes: Human pheromones, neuroscience, and male sexual preferences

About James V. Kohl 1308 Articles
James Vaughn Kohl was the first to accurately conceptualize human pheromones, and began presenting his findings to the scientific community in 1992. He continues to present to, and publish for, diverse scientific and lay audiences, while constantly monitoring the scientific presses for new information that is relevant to the development of his initial and ongoing conceptualization of human pheromones. Recently, Kohl integrated scientific evidence that pinpoints the evolved neurophysiological mechanism that links olfactory/pheromonal input to genes in hormone-secreting cells of tissue in a specific area of the brain that is primarily involved in the sensory integration of olfactory and visual input, and in the development of human sexual preferences. His award-winning 2007 article/book chapter on multisensory integration: The Mind’s Eyes: Human pheromones, neuroscience, and male sexual preferences followed an award winning 2001 publication: Human pheromones: integrating neuroendocrinology and ethology, which was coauthored by disinguished researchers from Vienna. Rarely do researchers win awards in multiple disciplines, but Kohl’s 2001 award was for neuroscience, and his 2007 “Reiss Theory” award was for social science. Kohl has worked as a medical laboratory scientist since 1974, and he has devoted more than twenty-five years to researching the relationship between the sense of smell and the development of human sexual preferences. Unlike many researchers who work with non-human subjects, medical laboratory scientists use the latest technology from many scientific disciplines to perform a variety of specialized diagnostic medical testing on people. James V. Kohl is certified with: * American Society for Clinical Pathology * American Medical Technologists James V. Kohl is a member of: * Society for Neuroscience * Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology * Association for Chemoreception Sciences * Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality * International Society for Human Ethology * American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science * Mensa, the international high IQ society