Pheromones

Question 1

Savic (hypothalamus reaction to testosterone and estrogen)

Answer 1

AIM:
Investigate whether human pheromones exist, and how they affect the brain.

Procedure The researchers exposed participants (24 men and women) to the smell of two chemicals, almost identical to the naturally produced sex hormones, testosterone and estrogen.

As participants smelled the clothes their brains were scanned using a PET machine

RESULTS:
A region of the brain called the hypothalamus become activated in the men only when they smelled the female hormone, and become activated in the women only when they smelled the male hormone.

The hypothalamus is a part of the brain which is linked to sexual behaviour, and is not normally activated by ordinary smells.

In a follow up study, Savic found that the brains of homosexual men responded just like the brains of women - the hypothalamus of gay men lit up when they smelled the male hormone, but did not respond to the female hormone.

CONCLUSION:
This study suggests that sex pheromones do exist in humans, and they may influence sexual behaviour.

Question 2

Do pheromones affect human behaviour?

Answer 2

A rather controversial area of psychological research is the role of pheromones on human behaviour. Pheromones are known to play a significant role in signalling between members of the same species among animals to affect various behaviours. However, in recent years, research on human pheromones has revealed various interesting psychological and physiological phenomena.

Some psychologists have argued that pheromones may affect the menstrual cycle in groups of women, olfactory recognition of newborn by its mother and that individuals may exude different odours based on mood. Although there is some evidence, nothing is conclusive on whether or not humans have functional pheromones.

Question 3

Limitation of pheromones’ effect on human behaviour

Answer 3

• Complexity of human attraction
• Complexity of human scent
• Difficulty in replicating studies