I think there are many times where people on this forum might read too much into things that happen and want to attribute it to pheromones, when maybe it\'s got nothing really to do with them. Maybe in the hope of justifying the cost or hope they really do work because of their potential. Other times maybe pheromones play an indirect role, in that wearing them makes you feel more confident or makes you want to try them out, so you put yourself in situations that you wouldn\'t normally do. Which ends up you get a response just because you put yourself in a position more likely to get one. Of course other times, maybe pheromones have a direct impact considering all the studies done in more controlled environments that suggest they do have an effect on us. Day to day pheromone use could be made up of some, more, or non of each of those possibilities. Not to mention variables like personality, looks, attitude, age, lifestyle, previous experience, previous contact, circumstances, mood, who you are with, environment, fate, body language, vocal communication, time of the month, etc.
For example, if you are quite attractive, but have low self-esteem and go out more thanks to the confidence wearing pheromones gives you or just to try them out, you socialise more and you get attention because you are quite attractive and putting yourself in a situation to get a response. But you put it all down to using pheromone products, because you don\'t consider yourself attractive (as well as other reasons maybe). Maybe pheromones played a part in making you even more attractive or get you more attention, break the ice, etc..but you\'d be hard pressed to quantify which variable had the most impact on the outcome. It is very easy to put it all down to pheromones, when that might not be the whole story. I guess that is why most studies done on pheromones, lack real-life human experiences of them. Because there are so many variables in real-life, trying to do a scientific study would be difficult. You\'d have a hell of a job trying to isolate the pheromone variable amongst all the other variables that could or do play their part in attraction. Where as with less developed animals, there are less variables and pheromones probably play a bigger part in attraction for them.
But if in humans, using pheromone products is just enough to tip the scales of attraction and give you that edge, I guess you can argue no matter how small a direct effect they have on us, if they work, they work. Even if their effect are mainly indirect or it\'s all in the mind. I guess it depends if the size of extra response you get using them is worth the money and/or effect you have to put in using them. Any lack of extra response of course could be for any number of reasons though. Maybe not putting yourself in enough forward situations to get a response, or maybe you are attractive enough to get good responses on your own and can\'t tell the difference, etc.
[ May 18, 2002: Message edited by: Teak ]
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