Most people have heard of pheromones, those mysterious chemicals that animals secrete to attract members of the opposite sex. But pheromones can also do a lot more. Here are few of their more interesting properties.--
Compiled by R. Douglas Fields
Sex Effects
True to their reputation, pheromones affect reproduction in mammals.
Name | Result |
Whitten effect | Male pheromones induce estrus, or sexual receptivity and fertility, in females |
Vandenbergh effect | Male pheromones accelerate puberty of females |
Lee-Boot effect | Female pheromones suppress estrus cycle of other females and delay puberty of younger females |
Bruce effect | Male pheromones from a new mate prevent newly fertilized egg from implanting and female returns to estrus |
Dorm effect | Female pheromones synchronize estrous cycle of other females. Studies of women living in dormitory housing provide evidence in humans, but the results have not been replicated in other animals. |
Coolidge effect | The loss of interest in sex after mating, which becomes reignited by pheromones from a new mate |
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Love Potion No. 9
The pheromones below are sold commercially. However, no scientific evidence exists to prove that any of these products actually increases attraction between sexes.
Name | What It Is | Product |
Copulins | Fatty acids found in vaginal secretions | Synthetic versions appear in a variety of fragrances for women |
Androstenone/Androstenol | Pheromone present in boar saliva | Andron, The Scent, The Secrete, Yes Pheromone, Sex Attractant for Men (all claim to attract women) |
"Vomeropherins" | Marketing term for human androstens, progestins and estrogens | Realm Men and Realm Women colognes |
DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) | Steroid hormone abundant in humans | Pheromone 1013 (for women) |
Steroids/musks/lipids | Human male pheromones | Pheromone 10X (for men) |
Battle of the Sexes
Animals that live in groups sometimes secrete pheromones that control one another's reproductive behavior.
Animal | Chemical-Control Effect |
Lemurs (male) | Pheromones in the urine of dominant male lemurs suppress sexual activity in subordinates by depressing their testosterone levels |
Lemurs (female) | Female urinary pheromones stimulate sperm formation and testosterone production in males |
Prairie voles | Pheromones of dominant female prairie voles suppress reproduction by subordinate females |
Attracting Trouble
When pheromones make war, not love.
Animal | Chemical-Control Effect |
Parasitic wasps | Prey on aphids by detecting the sex pheromones of female aphids |
Yellowjacket wasps | Prey on fruit flies by detecting the male fly pheromones |
Honey Bees | Release alarm pheromones when they sting, which attract other bees to attack |
Trickery
Some plants and animals evolved the ability to co-opt others' pheromones for their own nefarious purposes.
Plant or Animal | Chemical-Control Effect |
Australian orchids | Produce female sex pheromones of bees to lure males, who pollinate the flower as they attempt to mate with the petals |
Bola spiders | Release a female moth sex pheromone to lure male moths as prey |
Wild potatoes | Produce aphid alarm pheromones to repel aphids from attacking their leaves |
Garter snakes | Certain males known as "she-males" release female sex pheromones that trick other males into expending sexual energy fruitlessly, giving the she-males better odds at mating successfully with real females |
Female elephants | Secrete the same sex pheromone as many moths, but this doesn't appear to cause confusion about mating with the right species |
Mother Knows Best
Pheromones play a role in the mother-child bond.
Animal | Chemical-Control Effect |
Human newborns | Learn the specific odors of their mother's breast and armpits within the first three hours after birth |
Lambs | Cause an increase in the number of cells in their mother's olfactory bulb that respond selectively to baby lamb odors |
Women | Have a sharper sense of smell than men, and brain imaging shows that a larger portion of their brain is activated by odors than in men |
Source: Pheromones and Animal Behavior. Tristram D. Wyatt. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
