We sometimes wonder why some people appear to be more appealing than others. That appealing person may not necessarily be good looking but exude a certain presence that attract the opposite sex. These are usually referred to as x-factor, an unidentified quality in a man that makes ladies swoon or sex appeal in women that makes even the fiercest men tame.

One of the most plausible explanations can be offered by the idea that pheromones do exist in humans. Pheromones are chemicals emitted by living organisms used to influence the behavior of other organisms of the same species. This enables the organisms to detect each other even from far distances. Remember the male dogs that could not be contained during the rutting season of dogs? Pheromones from female dogs make them behave that way.

Types of Pheromones

In 2005, the scientific literature categorized pheromones into four classes: territorial markers, mother-infant, menstrual synchrony, and human sex-attractant pheromones. Dogs mark their territories by urinating in places they consider theirs. The smell of their urine serve as warning to other dogs that they are intruding into another’s territory. Babies have been observed to show a clear preference for pieces of clothing worn by their own mothers. In humans, pheromones have been identified to influence menstrual synchrony and attract the opposite sex, especially males. We are more interested on the last two categories.

Discovery of Sex Pheromones

The understanding of pheromones date back to the 1870s. A renowned French naturalist Jean-Henri Fabre (http://www.beyonddiscovery.org/content/view.txt.asp?a=2702#A_Seductive_Scent) observed that male peacock moths flew for a long distance to visit a female moth in his lab. The male moths come from every direction no matter where in the house he moved the female. He hypothesized it must be an odor in the female, undetectable in humans, that caused attraction.

Pheromones in Humans

But are pheromones also found in humans? There is still controversy whether pheromones exist in humans but a landmark study in 1986 by Dr. Winifred Cutler codiscovered pheromones in our underarms (So that’s why when we smell the underarms of the opposite sex, we either get attracted or repelled?). She also discovered that women who have regular sex with men have more regular menstrual cycles than women who have sporadic sex. And the explanation is attributed to pheromones. Somebody suggested that constant washing away or covering up of the sweaty underarms  could be the reason why many people in modern society are depressed or lonely. Well, this is a matter of hygiene, but leaving a little of the odor in the underarms could do the trick. If you don’t want to attract somebody, then you have to scrub everything.

Further, research suggests that men and women choose their mates by sniffing out partners. In fact, in 2006, a research study published in Nature confirmed the presence of pheromones in humans. Receptors in the nose pick up subliminal scents. This has something to do with trying to identify compatible immune systems.

Realizing the importance of pheromones, the cosmetics industry popularized pheromone use in perfumes and lipstick. Since then, it has developed into a multi-million dollar industry.

Tip to Find Out if You Have Sex Appeal

I read in an article that an indicator of sex appeal are mosquitoes. If you noticed that mosquitoes tend to bite you more than others who do not complain they are bitten, you should be proud. You have greater sex appeal.

If you attract somebody of the same sex, that’s another story. See the article by Wolfe which prompted me to write this article.