Pheromones: Unconscious Messages

What are pheromones?  Simply put, they are the natural chemicals our bodies emit which may prompt responses in others.  In other words, every person has their own natural scent which may elicit unconscious messages and generate a positive or negative reaction from others.  For example, sweat can trigger a response that some find sexually attractive while others feel it’s a total turn off based on how strongly the chemical presents and how it is interpreted.   

Chemists have tried to utilize our unique scents that create innate responses and develop perfumes and colognes to react in a similar fashion.  They claim that some scents will boost intimate encounters with the opposite sex.    As a result, the fragrance industry maximizes on sales.  However, it has never been proven that fragrances actually change behaviours in others.   Or do they?

Fragrances react differently on everyone.  For example, if two or more people sampled the same cologne, the overall scent would be different for each.  One person may emit a sweet smell that is pleasant and inviting while another may generate a sour odor that is repulsive an intrusive.  Synthetic chemicals mask our natural scent.  But to what degree?  Or do they work together to intensify the results? 

Sexual pheromones are the chemicals our body produces when we become sexually stimulated.  As a result, these unconscious messages increase arousal which intensifies the intimacy act.  But do we give off chemical signals that indicate all of our needs such as the need to be wanted and loved?  When we meet someone for the first time, are we generating an unconscious message that signals our deepest desires or hidden reservations?   

A blind date, for example, consumes our emotions.  We may be nervous, excited and happy all at the same time.  With each emotion, does our chemical message change?  Is it possible that our natural chemical messages become mixed to create confusion or attract the wrong kinds of people?  I suppose it would be impossible to answer these questions conclusively.  However, if we study how others respond to us while exhibiting certain emotions, perhaps we can find some of the answers. 

I’m sure you have heard “I can smell your fear” before.  Is this true?  Perhaps, since fear signals our body to produce sweat which intensifies our natural scent.  Can happiness be smelled?  What about our other emotions?  Do our emotions actually trigger our natural chemicals?  If so, to what degree?

Is it possible to harness our natural scents or alter them to portray different messages?  Presumably the fragrance industry claims to sell human sexual pheromones which make the undesirable desirable.   Should we be tampering with what is natural?  Will changing our natural scents create problems by giving off the wrong signals?  Do our emotions factor into our unconscious chemical messages?  Can multiple feelings generated at the same time create confusion to attract the wrong kinds of people?  This post was not intended to answer any of these questions but to raise some awareness in order that we may conduct ourselves in a more conscious light.   Although no studies can prove conclusively the significance of our chemical messages, one should question how they may be interpreted and surmise whether they are influential to some degree based on experiences.