Pheromones & Human Sexuality???

Hi all,

I\'m kinda of a n00b to the boards and this is the first thread I\'ve started. So, I hope you like...

I happened to be up very late last Friday night and just happened to catch a program on TLC in regards to human arousal and sexuality. So, I decided to watch it. It had a very nice segment on pheromones, but it didn\'t unveil any new information that I haven\'t already read about over the net. But, it really got me to thinkin\'... [img]images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

To make a long story short, since it is believed/known that each and every single human being gives off and receives pheromones, do pheromones determine human sexual orientation? Do homosexuals give off and receive different sets of pheromones than heteorosexuals(sp?)? No flames intended, it\'s just me thinkin\' out loud in a sense. Your feedback is welcomed. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I have never heard of a gay phero. I know they sell phero\'s for gay people, not from here though. To my knoweledge gay people send out the same pheros as straight

Thanks for your reply Shinten, and congrats on your recent hits!

Now, as with any organ, I am willing to bet that the VNO that detects pheromones is prone to dysfunction. Now i\'m just theorizing here, but in the case of a dysfunction, maybe the VNO only detects pheromones that are emitted by the same sex, and not detect pheromones given off by the opposite sex, thus causing same sex attraction. Just a screwball theory mine [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]... I\'m tryin\' to stir up a little conversation!

[ October 31, 2001: Message edited by: Hot_Like_Fire ]

When I was still at school this subject came up once. NB back then the gay issue was not quiett as open and relaxed as it is nowadays.
One of our tutors mentioned that a scientist (can´t remember his name) had a theory that the attraction to ones own sex is `a dysfunction´ in the brain.
Now having become familiar with pheromones, I guess he was referring to the VNO. Our tutor mentione which part of the brain he meant but again, it was too long ago for me.

There is no such thing as gay pheromones and all the gay phero users use the same products as straight users to attract people of the same sex.

I advised a newbie sometime ago (gay, female) to try a certain womens product and the results were positive.

However, we can ALL detect all the mones, there´s no such thing really as male and female pheromones if you really think about it because we all produce all of them.


Regarding the claims of this scientist, there are some points to bear in mind:
For one, apparently he was/is gay himself, and I don´t know when he first published his theory. And the time is obviously an important factor to consider because before the early-mid-nineties the gay issue was a mjor taboo and people had to very discreet and careful with what they said etc. most people put the theory down as a lame excuse for being perversely inclined etc.

HOWEVER, in my view being attracted to one own sex is neither that nor is it anything new. So far scientists have counted way over 400 species who have regular...uhmm amourous gay encounters. We are the only species who makes a huge fuss over this. Pretty silly isn´t it?

I think I´ve gotten a bit carried away and off topic. Will stop here.

CJ [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Saw the thread ... thought I\'d drop in.

The question about VNO existing at all is on another thread; remember, I still reckon pheromones work - I just question the science about them having to be \'roid based or work on a particular bit of the nose which may be vestigial in some and really active in others. (For instance, I\'m tone deaf, but can pick a beer by it\'s smell. Also, hold your nostrils closed and eat a piece of onion, and then an apple - MOST people say they can\'t tell the difference. Until afterwards of course ... YUK! But, I can actually taste the differnce). Don\'t know a B-sharp from an F-flat though, but a ex-girlfriend could drop a fork a tell me the tone, with agreement from my composer flat-mate!

Also, a behavioral experiment was done with guys and found that like Pavlov\'s dog, they could be trained to jerk off to almost ANYTHING and say it was erotic, which explains a lot about this world!! This is no difference between gay and straight pheromones in any of the recent literature, and I doubt we\'ll see any convincing argument otherwise for a long, long time.

I find guys like my \'mones as well as women, but it just makes them more agreeable and relaxed, rather than get a boner - or not that I\'ve noticed anyway; they may have but kept it to themselves???

Cheers,