Chemical Romance - Research Paper Example

Chemical Romance Falling in love is usually known to start from attraction to the love partner. Fancying someone because of his or her physical appearance usually makes a person take a second look. However, what is not obvious and probably more potent than what one sees is the other process of attraction that takes place involving another sense of the body – the olfactory sense or the sense of smell. The hormone responsible for this is called pheromone. The word pheromone was first used by Karlson and Luscher (1959). Their definition of pheromone coincided with The Athena Institute’s (2011) definition that pheromones are “naturally occurring odorless substances the fertile body excretes externally, conveying an airborne signal that provides information to, and triggers responses from, the opposite sex of the same species” (para1). This means that animals excrete pheromones into the air and as it reaches an animal of the same species but of the opposite gender, and smells it, there will be attraction or some other reactionary behaviour to the one who excreted it. It is more common for mammals to be driven by their sexual preferences through the sense of smell and only indirectly by the sense of sight (Pheromones.com, 2010). The pheromones that elicit sexual attraction are usually powerful aphrodisiacs like androstenone and androstenol from the saliva of male boars. It was observed that if a fertile female boar smells these molecules in the air, she will present herself to the male offering him to start a family (Smithsonian.com, 2012). These pheromones serve to encourage behaviour to perpetuate the species (Athena Institute, 2011). With humans, studies have been done to see the effect of pheromones. In 2005, a study offered anonymous samples of sweat to gay and heterosexual men. Findings revealed that gay men preferred the scent of gay men and heterosexual men preferred the scent of women. In another study, women were asked to select which odor of t-shirt they preferred. These shirts were worn by different men. It was found that the women preferred odors of men with DNA make-up that was very different from theirs. This showed that it was a biological preference in selecting mates that would produce children with a strong immune system. This is one evidence that one’s nose helps identify a genetically compatible mate (Smithsonian.com, 2012). Other kinds of pheromones were found in scientific literature to serve other purposes. In 2005, four classes of pheromones were categorized. The first one is the human sex-attractant pheromones which have been discussed regarding sexual attraction. The second one is mother-infant recognition pheromones which guides an infant on which breast to suckle from, or with animals, which offspring are identified by the mother to stay under her care. The third kind of pheromone is the menstrual synchrony pheromone which causes women who are always together physically to normally synchronize their menstrual cycle together at the same time of the month. Finally, the territorial marking animal pheromones are sent off my males to signal other males to stay away from their mates (Athena Institute, 2011). Patra et al. (2012) have identified the science behind pheromone transport. They have identified a two-way system of signalling/ priming of pheromones and the receiving of sensory neurons. They explained that mammals have two distinct regions in their nasal cavity namely the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and the vomeronasal organ (VNO). The MOE functions as a molecular analyzer for different odors and scents and environmental chemicals that are irrelevant while the VNO specializes in detecting pheromones that carry information about the gender, reproductive or dominance status of the animal that emitted it. The VNO then expresses neuron receptors activated by the pheromones, and these neurons stimulate various other chemical substances emitted by the brain and endocrine system without the individual being aware of it. Pheromones have been more studied in animals than in humans and have been helpful in gathering information about various species’ mating and reproductive systems. In humans, research has been limited, mostly addressing the function of sexual attraction as being sold by perfume and cosmetic companies claiming to include pheromone-like substances in their products that stimulate attraction from other people. However, the search for human pheromones have been obstructed by its unseen effects which are confounded by other sensory influences such as sight and sound, one’s past experience/ memory of scents, learning, and individual contexts. Another reason for the difficulty in searching for human pheromones is that no one has been successful in finding the exact chemicals that cue people about mating compatibility, breast milk recognition of infants or other behaviours known to be elicited by pheromones. This may be due to the fact that previous researches have been limited to analyzing odorous substances from armpits (Smithsonian.com, 2012). Possible Ideas for Science Exhibit on Pheromones 1. “The Nose Knows” – Take a small number of couples in relationships and let them all wear identical t-shirts (different colors for each gender). After making sure that they have left their natural scents on the t-shirt, collect the shirts, put identifying codes that the participants will not recognize and line them up in a row (separate rows for males and females). Let the individuals select which t-shirt belongs to their mate. Check to see the percentage of accuracy to confirm if the theory that pheromones send out distinguishing scents of mates, and that mates will recognize their own mates’ scents. Display may be matching t-shirts with pictures of the owners. 2. Collection of different scents for men and women categorized into various kinds (ex. Musky, floral, sporty, fruity, etc.) and making a survey which scents are mostly preferred by the boys and girls in the school… which are least preferred? 3. Molecular model of pheromone transport based on the article of Patra, et al. Implications of the Research on Pheromones The discovery that pheromones are responsible for attracting people to the one who emitted it has been a goldmine for cosmetic and perfume companies. Although this may seem like the work of “witchcraft”, casting aromatic spells on a prospective mate, it is a good enough reason to encourage people to not only dab on perfumes or colognes to keep them smelling good but to engage in good hygienic practices. Keeping one’s body clean will help isolate one’s natural scents that may be responsible in attracting others even without the superficialities of perfumes. Of course, keeping one’s body clean and hygienic includes controlling offensive body odors but not with overpowering scents of deodorants. One should be able to select products that are compatible with his or her body chemistry. Being more aware of how others may react to one’s smell will make people more conscious of their hygiene. Bottom line is to take daily baths, brushing teeth at least once a day and changing into clean and freshly-laundered clothes. Not only will it make one more attractive to others but more importantly, such grooming practices keep one healthy. References Athena Institute. (2011). What are Pheromones? Retrieved on October 29, 2012 from http://www.athenainstitute.com/pherodef.html Karlson, P. & Luscher, M. (1959). Pheromones: a new term for a class of biologically active substances. Nature, 183: 55-56. Patra, M.K., Barman, P. & Kumar, H. (2012). Potential Application Of Pheromones In Reproduction Of Farm Animals- A Review, Agricultural Reviews, 33 (1): 82-86. Pheromones.com. (2012). What are Pheromones? Retrieved on October 29, 2012 from http://pheromones.com/biology Smithsonian.com. (2012). The Truth About Pheromones, Retrieved on October 29, 2012 from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/The-Truth-About- Pheromones.html Read More