2013 The Relationship Between Oral Contraceptive Use and Sensitivity to Olfactory Stimuli

Excerpt 1: "Previous work has found that women rate a man’s scent as a particularly important factor in selecting a potential mate—of greater importance than a man’s physical appearance and voice, as well as many other factors, such as how many friends he has or how much money he earns (Herz & Inzlicht, 2002)."

Excerpt 2: "In the present study, hormonal status was found only to affect olfactory sensitivity to the social odors, musk, androsterone and androstenone."

This helps to bring us current with regard to androsterone use instead of androstenone use in pheromone-enhanced products. Androsterone / etiocholanolone ratios appear to signal male reproductive fitness due to our higher levels of dehydroepiandrosterone, the most abundantly produced steroid hormone found in humans.

Although I supplied the androsterone and androstenone for this study, and was the external examiner invited to Katy Renfro's defense of her "honors" thesis, I was not directly or indirectly involved in her work.

I learned today that the article is in-press for "Hormones and Behavior" which means that subscribers can preview it.

Interesting. The higher thresholds associated with BC, might explain why so many people feel the need to douse themselves with high levels.

Excellent post James.

How is musk defined in this study?
?? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscone

(01-17-2013 4:40 PM)John Schlongfellow Wrote:  Excellent post James.

How is musk defined in this study?
?? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscone

musk (Mystic Memories’ Witch Fae Perfume Oil with Genuine Amethyst, Mayfield Heights, OH, USA)

Hi James,

that was interesting to read. Me and another member (as well as some folks at pherotalk) have noticed the Androsterone tends to affect older chicks, as well as younger chicks with "daddy issues". Any idea why?

(01-19-2013 11:45 PM)phertest Wrote:  Hi James,

that was interesting to read. Me and another member (as well as some folks at pherotalk) have noticed the Androsterone tends to affect older chicks, as well as younger chicks with "daddy issues". Any idea why?

This can be viewed in the context of the metabolism of DHEA/DHEAS to androsterone/androsterone sulfate, which is the clearest indicator of a masculine phenotype that signals "Dad" in a way that's familiar across species (via pheromones).

Androsterone, however, is more specific to primates and is an indicator of individual human male fitness associated with testosterone production (as used in combination to determine whether Olympic athletes are "doping").

If you simply want to smell like any other male animal, use androstenone -- as a signal of testosterone. If you want to smell like a reproductively fit masculine human male, use androsterone in the mixture of species specific human pheromones that also contains androstenol because it's the androstenol associated with androsterone that makes the effect on hormones species-specific and affects observed flirtatious behavior and self-reported level of attraction in our studies. Human pheromones, epigenetics, physiology, and the development of animal behavior

I never thought I'd see someone say so much with so few words.

repped again. not that you need it

Thanks for the info JVK. If its not too much trouble, would you be able to explain DHEA/DHEAS role in creating romance? We know that they are indicators of good health - would you be able to advise on what impact this would have combined with androstadienone for example?

A member noted that the "feel good" vibe of DHEA/S as a pheromone can offset feelings of attachment, or negative emotions, but we have no conclusive evidence. Perhaps your studies would give us a more scientific viewpoint for or against it.

Your time is appreciated, thanks for stopping by.

(01-20-2013 4:20 AM)jvkohl Wrote:  This can be viewed in the context of the metabolism of DHEA/DHEAS to androsterone/androsterone sulfate, which is the clearest indicator of a masculine phenotype that signals "Dad" in a way that's familiar across species (via pheromones).

Androsterone, however, is more specific to primates and is an indicator of individual human male fitness associated with testosterone production (as used in combination to determine whether Olympic athletes are "doping").

If you simply want to smell like any other male animal, use androstenone -- as a signal of testosterone. If you want to smell like a reproductively fit masculine human male, use androsterone in the mixture of species specific human pheromones that also contains androstenol because it's the androstenol associated with androsterone that makes the effect on hormones species-specific and affects observed flirtatious behavior and self-reported level of attraction in our studies. Human pheromones, epigenetics, physiology, and the development of animal behavior

(01-21-2013 12:41 PM)phertest Wrote:  Thanks for the info JVK. If its not too much trouble, would you be able to explain DHEA/DHEAS role in creating romance? We know that they are indicators of good health - would you be able to advise on what impact this would have combined with androstadienone for example?

A member noted that the "feel good" vibe of DHEA/S as a pheromone can offset feelings of attachment, or negative emotions, but we have no conclusive evidence. Perhaps your studies would give us a more scientific viewpoint for or against it.

Your time is appreciated, thanks for stopping by.

So far as I know, nothing besides what Winnifred Cutler initially said on a TV talk show about DHEA/S about her product for women, indicates that it might be a human pheromone.

With respect to the unidentified pheromone, in earlier work, axillary extracts were prepared (Preti et al., 1986; Cutler et al. 1986) and analyzed only for selected steroidal components as described in Preti et al. (1987) ; however the complexity of these extracts precluded any a priori assumption regarding the identity of the components that may have caused alterations in the menstrual cycle s (a primer pheromone effect). Neither Preti et al. (1987) nor any references cited therein present any evidence suggesting influences on sociosexual variables (releaser pheromone effects) resulting from application of axillary extracts or their components. How then could Cutler et al. suggest that “a synthetic version of a pheromone ” was derived from the work of Preti et al. (1987) after “refining a proprietary formula, characteristic of heterosexual men”?

Studies where increased romance were reported did not identify the "pheromone" used, and those study results were also statistically debunked -- not that there was any real reason to do so. The failure to name the compound used when reporting cause and effect is more than sufficient to get your works removed from consideration by anyone who understands anything at all about olfaction and odor receptors.

If you ever see Cutler attempt to explain how her products work, be sure to let others know. I've waited 20 years for her to do that all the while here ad copy is more widely distributed.