Exam 1 pt3 Flashcards
Milinski & Wedekind study
Collected participants’ DNA Had them smell and rate common perfume ingredients Vanilla Cardamom Cinnamon Patchouli Lilac Sandalwood Musk
Androstadienone
can change a woman’s body chemistry
Wyrat et al (2008) Had one group of women sniff yeast Did so while watching random movie clips Had another group of women sniff synthetic androstadienone Again, while watching movie clips
Results
While sniffing yeast, nothing happened
After sniffing androstadienone:
Emotional effects:
More positive emotions
Sexual arousal
After sniffing androstadienone:
Clinical effects: Increased production of cortisol Associated with arousal, focus, & memory Increased respiration Increased blood pressure Increased heart rate
Effects lasted up to an hour
Wyratt Study #2
Had women sniff androstadienone, then watch sad or erotic films
Elevated women’s mood and sexual arousal when watching erotic films
Maintained women’s positive mood when watching sad films
Impaired women’s memory of negative events in the sad films
Wyratt also had men sniff androstadienone, then watch sad or erotic films
Men showed no difference against a control group on the erotic film (didn’t amplify or change arousal ratings)
Men’s moods darkened when they watched the sad films
Conclusion was that men are unaffected by exposure to androstadienone
How about androtsenone?
Women judge the odor of androstenone as most pleasant when ovulating (the most fertile phase of the menstrual cycle)
May have a subtle mind-altering effect on ovulating women
Lifting their moods and easing the way to sex and pregnancy
Ovulatory Smell Studies
Gave female participants two t-shirts
The women wore one t-shirt for three consecutive nights during their ovulatory phase (when women are most likely to get pregnant)
Wore other t-shirt for three nights during non-fertile stage of their cycle
Then had men smell the two shirts and decide which one smelled better
Sweat isn’t the only source of fertility-status odor on which (straight) men pick up
Vaginal fluids contain copulins
Five specific fatty acids controlled by the level of estrogen in your system
Fluctuate with your cycle
Women produce the most at the fertile stage of their cycle
Copulins smell their most pleasant several days before ovulation
Steinbach, Oberzaucher, & Grammer (2012)
100 men
50 men were exposed to copulins
50 men were not exposed to copulins (controls)
Steinbach, Oberzaucher, & Grammer (2012)
Men played a game against a partner via the internet based on the Tragedy of the Commons
The partner was actually a computer program that used the simple (and generous) Tit-for-Tat strategy
Collected saliva at three points in the experiment (before smelling copulins, during the game, and after the game)
Results
After smelling copulins, men in the experimental group immediately experienced a spike in testosterone in their systems
Testosterone promotes aggressive, competitive and dominant behavior
Of note, such behaviors are viewed positively by females in their fertile phase (ovulation)
Results
In addition to the spike in testosterone (and likely because of it), the men who smelled copulins because much more aggressive and competitive in their gaming strategies
Evolution & Speculation
Pre-bipedal days and genital odors
Speculation about pubic and underarm hair
May signal to men that it’s a good time to mate with the woman
Mate Guarding
Some researchers link the shift in copulin odor during ovulation to “mate-guarding” behaviors
Mate guarding involves increased:
proprietariness
attentiveness
vigilance
