Researchers find chemosignal that encourages women's sexual desire

[jvkohl]

From a study of women who were breast feeding:

"...women with regular partners

experienced a 24 percent increase in sexual desire as reported on a standard psychological survey. Women without

partners experienced a 17 percent increase in sexual fantasies after exposure for the

period."

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-10/uoc-rfc100604.php

The entire issue

of Hormones and Behavior is focussed on the sense of smell, hormones, and

behavior.

JVK

[bjf]

I think it has to do with oxytocin.

[DrSmellThis]

Breastfeeding women are likely

to have higher concentrations of lactobacillus acidophilus, breve, and bifida strains on their skin (as are

infants), which could be a co-factor in producing the purported breast-feeding pheromone in the armpit. So we don't

know yet that it comes from their fresh sweat, per se. I'm ready to buy a barrel of the stuff,

whatever it is; or bribe my lactating friends to let me rub my head under their arms. For species survival purposes,

it makes sense that babies, particularly well nourished ones, would lead to more babies, for a couple of reasons.

[jvkohl]

The pendulous human female breasts

are actually modified apocrine (scent/pheromone-producing) glands. The breasts originate in the axillae (underarm).

I have proposed that pendulous female breast development was required as humans lost fur, which traps and amplifies

some very important chemical signals in other mammals. The development of pendulous female breasts would compensate

for hair/fur loss by providing increased area both for production and distribution.

The only other theory

that I know about for the development of pendulous breasts is one attributed to Desmond Morris, who apparently

thinks that they developed to mimic the fleshy buttocks (as men needed a better/comparable visual signal when sexual

intercourse became a frontal approach event).

Compare the two theories--one visually based with no biological

basis; the other based on olfactory conditioning with the completely detailed pathway from gene activation to

hormonal changes that influence behavior.

JVK

[einstein]

If you guys remember Commercaire

from Enhanced Air Technoligies, it was the phermone system marketed to Casinos and stores to keep people inside

longer. The first article I read about it said the pheromone was based on female breast pheromones to recreate the

comfort of breastfeeding as an infant.
Funny they never found the same result.

[DrSmellThis]

Related article abstract:



http://humrep.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstr

act/19/2/422 (http://humrep.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/19/2/422)

Monell article:



http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:4-dS3kbrTLcJ:www.monell.org/Newsletters/Monell_Spring

03.pdf+breastfeeding+lactating+pheromone&hl=en (http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:4-dS3kbrTLcJ:www.monell.org/Newsletters/Monell_Spring03.pdf+breastfeeding

+lactating+pheromone&hl=en)

[DrSmellThis]

If you guys

remember Commercaire from Enhanced Air Technoligies, it was the phermone system marketed to Casinos and stores to

keep people inside longer. The first article I read about it said the pheromone was based on female breast

pheromones to recreate the comfort of breastfeeding as an infant.
Funny they never found the same

result.Interesting. Can you find the article or reference it?

[einstein]

I found the article again.

Looks like I misread it the first time. Here's the quote I was thinking of.


Yesterday, the company

unveiled Commercaire pheromone, its synthetic compound that mimics the maternal sense of comfort piped to

children when they're crying or otherwise unhappy.

Filtered into a store through air ducts or a small fan under

the cashier's desk, for example, the odorless substance is meant to relax customers so they stay longer, and buy

more.

However, Nigel Malkin, the upstart firm's director of development, is quick to note that the pheromone

will only put customers at ease, not force them to do anything against their will.

"It doesn't put people into a

buying frenzy or anything like that," he said. "This will just make them feel more relaxed and give them a fond

memory of the environment they've been exposed to. That can breed customer loyalty."

[DrSmellThis]

Thanks! Still interesting.