I finished my usual cover to cover reading of The New Yorker on the plane today so when I got to Cincinnati I wanted a new magazine. I picked up the Discover magazine and decided I really dig it. There was an article in it called “Physical Chemistry” where a scientist continues his studies to see if pheromones have any effect on how we react to each other. It was quite fascinating.
Compounds released in the urine or body odor of male mice, for example, can signal dominance and spark aggression between males and prompt reproductively dormant females to start cycling. The scent of a strange male mouse will cause pregnant females to abort their fetuses.
Isn’t that crazy? The other quote I like seems to hit closer to home though. When speaking of how pheromones of female silk moths attract males they say, “Attracts is perhaps too coy a word; [it] pretty much strips a male moth of free will.” Hmmm…that sounds like how it works for humans too.
I think I am missing those pheromones. Men never seem to be stripped of their free will in my presence…..
Are you a Northern Exposure fan? Remember the episode where Chris (cute radio DJ) was sending off strong pheromones and women were flocking to him? I miss that show.
I love discover magazine, too. And Scientific American. Do you think there’s a popular science magazine called Scientific European?
Bye – see you tomorrow in Iowa City!!!
Pheromones, of course! That explains the six month period of my life circa July-December 2001 as well as anything could. It was her damn pheromones! That’s the only rational explanation.
Do moths have free will to begin with? Wow, imagine the power if we could market that pheremone – scary!
Scientific American is my all time favorite magazine. I imagine Discover is right up there too. And if you are a real nut and want to be up to the minute informed you can subscribe to Science News which comes weekly.
I would read Discover all the time when I worked at the library. It was a “special” magazine, patrons had to ask the staff for it and present ID otherwise people would steal it! Just because they were intellectuals, didn’t mean they weren’t above petty theft.
You should read Diane Ackerman’s A Natural History of the Senses. She talks a lot about pheromones (and how they are in most perfumes that we wear), along with the other senses. It’s really REALLY interesting…
I love “Mental Floss” but I can only find it at Barnes and Noble. It’s great because it is a hodgepodge of info from books, religion, science, how stuff works, etc. I love it.
Not a big rreader but from personal experience there is this spot on the back of my now ex-wife’s neck that no matter what perfume, body spray or other scent she is were smells exactly like she did when she was 16 when we first got together. Like bubble gum and candy with a baby powder overtone. Still drives me wild.
Pheromones can be a very dicey thing, not to mention the effect that fragrence has on us. It is the strongest sensory emotion that we have. Can you remmember Sunday morning brunch, Your mother’s apple pie, or the smell of a pot roast? Not to mention the smell of Sunday morning brunch the day after you decided to see how many shots of Tequillia you could do? I think that pheromones are a double edeged sword esp. when combined with fragrances that have a strong impact on us.