tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post7513152126275097955..comments2024-03-26T01:10:13.720+00:00Comments on Teach Me Tonight: The Science of Love: Good News/Bad NewsE. M. Selingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426524354823232002noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-42743269020477352092008-02-11T22:05:00.000+00:002008-02-11T22:05:00.000+00:00Yes, that's right, Tigress. Apparently the scienti...Yes, that's right, Tigress. Apparently the <A HREF="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14619763.100-darling-you-smell-wonderfully-different.html" REL="nofollow">scientists in Bern</A> weren't expecting that outcome:<BR/><BR/><I>That women using the Pill should opt for men with similar MHC genes, however, was a surprise.<BR/><BR/>Wedekind is still mystified by this result. But he explains that the balance of hormones circulating in the blood of women taking oral contraceptives is similar to that in pregnant women.<BR/><BR/>During pregnancy, very different factors may influence a woman's odour preferences. Pregnant women should be less concerned with selecting men who could provide suitable genes for their offspring, as they are unable to conceive. But during human evolution, it may have been useful for a pregnant woman to associate with men who were most likely to help care for her baby. They would have been close relatives, with MHC genes similar to the woman's own.</I>Laura Vivancohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00906661869372622821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-70387446723765353532008-02-11T21:35:00.000+00:002008-02-11T21:35:00.000+00:00'...women on birth control don't seem to detect th...'...women on birth control don't seem to detect the histocompatibility complex reliably--'<BR/><BR/>Presumably because oral contraception (which I take you to mean) suppresses ovulation in part by mimicking the hormone balance of pregnancy - and if a female is <I>already</I> pregnant, she is not actively searching for a mate at that moment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-62415407636260527722008-02-11T13:53:00.000+00:002008-02-11T13:53:00.000+00:00it's interesting how much we may be affected by ou...<I>it's interesting how much we may be affected by our hormones, even though we think we're in control</I><BR/><BR/>Yes--I didn't mean to downplay that. We are still animals, though we lack some of the more sensitive adaptations to hormonal/pheromonal cues.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-74743852452181677062008-02-11T11:35:00.000+00:002008-02-11T11:35:00.000+00:00As I recall, Dr. Tatiana said that in the animal k...<I>As I recall, Dr. Tatiana said that in the animal kingdom, taken as a whole, monogamy is a rare perversion.</I><BR/><BR/>Yes, I suppose I shouldn't have been so surprised. But some of the earlier reports about the promiscuous mountain voles and the supposedly monogamous prairie voles really played up the difference between the two species.<BR/><BR/><I>As for scent, there are now perfumes sold on the basis that they will enhance one's natural pheromones.</I><BR/><BR/>I'm not sure about all the ones which are commercially available, but the concept itself has been tested (I don't know if the findings were replicated in subsequent tests, or even if there have been subsequent tests):<BR/><BR/><I>Some perfume manufacturers claim to include pheromones in their fragrances, McCoy noted, but “few double-blind placebo controlled studies have been conducted on this subject.” The Athena Institute for Women’s Wellness in Chester Springs, Pa. produced the pheromone used by the SFSU researchers.</I><BR/><BR/>and<BR/><BR/><I>The study, the first of its kind to independently test a sex attractant pheromone for women, showed that of the 36 women tested, 74 percent of those wearing their regular perfume with the pheromone saw an overall increase in three or more of the following sociosexual behaviors: frequency of kissing, heavy petting and affection, sexual intercourse, sleeping next to their partner, and formal dates with men.<BR/><BR/>In contrast, only 23 percent of the women who had a placebo added to their perfume saw an increase in these sociosexual behaviors. Researchers conclude from these data that the pheromone users were more sexually attractive to men.</I> (from <A HREF="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-03/sfsu-sss031402.php" REL="nofollow">here</A>)<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the article about kissing, RfP. I'm sure you're right that one can overstate the importance of some of these things, and humans obviously do take into account a lot of different cues. But it's interesting how much we may be affected by our hormones, even though we think we're in control, and in that respect it's interesting that being on the pill, as you say, or in a dangerous situation, can temporarily affect our perceptions of attractiveness/mate suitability.Laura Vivancohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00906661869372622821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-76564435170075587272008-02-11T04:16:00.000+00:002008-02-11T04:16:00.000+00:00Unfortunately, women on birth control don't seem t...Unfortunately, women on birth control don't seem to detect the histocompatibility complex reliably--they choose men with the wrong-smelling T-shirts.<BR/><BR/>There's also a <A HREF="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=affairs-of-the-lips-why-we-kiss&page=1" REL="nofollow">Scientific American article</A> on the science of kissing. I didn't post on it because there's a *lot* of argument about what it all means.<BR/><BR/>There's a lot of debate over whether humans detect pheromones per se. The <A HREF="http://scienceblogs.com/purepedantry/2008/02/something_in_the_air_kissing_l.php" REL="nofollow">Pure Pedantry</A> science blog has a number of the references--including the Sci. Am. article.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30203557.post-72897754695978513902008-02-11T03:27:00.000+00:002008-02-11T03:27:00.000+00:00I say we feed those prairie vole bastards to the b...I say we feed those prairie vole bastards to the black-footed ferrets!<BR/><BR/>Please note that that's Vole-with-a-<B>V</B> and not <B>M</B>ole!<BR/><BR/>As I recall, Dr. Tatiana said that in the animal kingdom, taken as a whole, monogamy is a rare perversion. It's certainly counter-evolutionary if you buy the "a hen is an egg's way of making another egg" theory.<BR/><BR/>As for scent, there are now perfumes sold on the basis that they will enhance one's natural pheromones.talpiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13978075304795724185noreply@blogger.com