Pheromones and falling in love (circa 1974)

I rediscovered this citation while searching for information on neural pathways that influence the secretion of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). That’s how mammalian pheromones influence our behavior, which doesn’t happen in Kallmann’s syndrome. It’s a syndrome associated with congenital anosmia. Infants are born with no sense of smell, and there are other symptoms to be considered. You can find details elsewhere. My point, today, is that most researchers were largely unaware (in 1974) that there might be human pheromones. But these guys suggest their involvement in falling in love. (I love it!) Here are my notes;  the quotes are substantially informative.

“I would like to mention specifically Kallmann’s syndrome, which can open up a Pandora’s box.”

“There is a word we have not mentioned in this conference so far: pheromones.  We really had better not only mention it, but start thinking about it if we are going to deal with puberty.”

“…the very deficit that created gonadotropin deficiency also does something else up there in the hypothalamus; i.e., one has a deficiency also with regard to…” … falling in love.

Kulin, H.E., & Reiter, E.O. (1974) Hypothalamic‑pituitary regulation of puberty in man. Evidence and concepts derived from clinical research (discussion) In: Grumbach, M.M., Grave, G.D., & Mayer, F.E., (eds.) Control of the Onset of Puberty. (pages 264‑265) New York: Wiley.

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