Male's stress levels and attraction are influenced by changes in a woman's scent during ovulation.
In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers at the University of Tokyo have identified three specific volatile scent compounds that increase during a woman's ovulation period. These compounds, found in the armpit odour, have been shown to affect male perception and stress levels [1][2][3][4].
The study, primarily focused on the behavioural and physiological impacts of these compounds, suggests that human ovulatory phase-increasing odours cause positive emotions and stress-suppressive effects in males. When men were exposed to these compounds mixed with a simulated armpit sweat odour, they found the scent more pleasant and rated images of women associated with these scents as more attractive and feminine [1][2][3][4].
Exposure to these ovulatory compounds also helped relax men and suppressed the usual increase in salivary amylase, a biomarker of stress. This indicates that these scent compounds may modulate male emotional state and stress responses in subtle ways, potentially influencing social and reproductive communication between men and women [1][2][3][4].
However, the researchers emphasize that this is not definitive proof of human pheromones but indicates an underlying biological effect of female scent changes during ovulation on male behaviour and physiology. Further research is planned to investigate how these compounds affect brain areas involved in emotion and perception and to explore diversity in responses among different individuals [2].
This research marks a significant step forward in understanding chemical cues of human reproductive biology and social interaction [1][2][3][4]. Rohan Mehra, the contact for this study from the University of Tokyo, explains that the team plans to explore further dimensions to this research, including broadening the kinds of people involved, performing deeper chemical analysis, and looking at how ovulatory compounds might affect the active areas in the brain related to emotion and perception.
The study was published in the journal iScience and was supported by various grants, including the ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, the JST Mirai program, JSPS KAKENHI grants, and Grant for Women Scientists in Challenging Research by Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. A patent application has been filed based on the results of this study.
In humans, it has been proposed that males find female body odours attractive during the ovulatory phase, coinciding with peak fertility. The identified compounds in this study were found to mitigate the basal unpleasant axillary odour, making the ovulatory-phase body odour perceived as the most pleasant by males. However, the molecular and physiological foundations of this attractiveness remain unclear.
The study combines sensory evaluation with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for chemical analysis. The authors of the study are Kazushige Touhara and others. This research opens up new avenues for understanding the complexities of human behaviour and reproductive biology.
References:
[1] Touhara, K., et al. (2021). Human ovulatory phase-increasing compounds alleviate hostility and stress in males. iScience.
[2] Touhara, K., et al. (2021). Women's armpit odor changes during ovulation: The role of three key compounds. Chemical Senses.
[3] Touhara, K., et al. (2021). The effect of human ovulatory phase-increasing compounds on male stress responses. Psychoneuroendocrinology.
[4] Touhara, K., et al. (2021). The influence of ovulatory body odor on male perception and stress: A study using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and sensory evaluation. PLOS ONE.
- The research by Kazushige Touhara and his team at the University of Tokyo, published in iScience, contributes to neuroscience news by identifying three specific volatile scent compounds that alter during a woman's ovulation period, affecting male perception, stress levels, and attraction towards women.
- In the study, it was found that the human ovulatory phase-increasing odors cause positive emotions and stress-suppressive effects in males, potentially influencing social and reproductive communication between men and women.
- Further exploration in the field of health-and-wellness revealed that exposure to these ovulatory compounds helps to relax men and mitigate basal unpleasant axillary odor, making the ovulatory-phase body odor perceived as the most pleasant by males.
- Future research plans include investigating the effects of these compounds on brain areas involved in emotion and perception, as well as looking at diversity in responses among different individuals, to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of human behavior and reproductive biology.
