Psychological effects of musky compounds: comparison of
androstadienone with
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Psychological effects of musky compounds: comparison of
androstadienone with androstenol and muscone.
Hormones and Behavior
Volume 42, Issue 3 , November 2002, Pages
274-283
Suma Jacob, Sheila Garcia, Davinder Hayreh and Martha K. McClintock*
Department of Psychology,
Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 60637
Abstract
Previously, we
have shown that delta4,16-androstadien-3-one modulates psychological state, reducing negative mood and increasing
positive mood (Jacob and McClintock, 2000; Jacob et al., 2001a). In order to determine whether similar musky
compounds also produce these effects, we compared the effects of androstadienone to those of androstenol and
muscone, measuring the psychological states of 37 participants. Androstenol and muscone were chosen because they too
have a musky odor at high concentrations, while androstenol is a steroid like androstadienone and muscone is not. In
a controlled laboratory setting, we conducted a double-blind, within-subject, repeated-measures experiment
counterbalanced for order of presentation. Under each participant's nose, a nanomolar amount of each compound was
presented, masked by clove oil to minimize perceptible olfactory differences. Participants completed a baseline
psychological battery and twice again at 25-min intervals after exposure. Androstadienone's effects on
psychological state were unique in comparison with those of androstenol and with muscone. Exposure through passive
inhalation, rather than dermal contact, was sufficient for these effects. Although this is additional evidence that
androstadienone may be a pheromone, it is yet to be determined whether humans exude concentrations into the air
adequate for social communication or process this chemical information within natural social contexts.
Author
Keywords: chemosignals; pheromone; odor; mood; musky compounds; steroids
*To whom correspondence and reprint
requests should be addressed at Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago, 5730 S. Woodlawn Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60637. Fax: 773-702-0320. E-mail: mkml@uchicago.edu.
Publication
Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
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