The Pheromones Attraction: How Chemicals Create Desire

Updated April 08, 2020

Reviewer Melinda Santa

You have probably heard about pheromones. Chemicals that you let out, which indicate that you're in love or are in the mood. However, you probably have no idea what they are or how they work. In this post, we'll look at what pheromones are, how they attract people, and what you can do to make more.

What Are Pheromones?

Pheromones are chemicals that leave the body and can be received by a member of the same species. Your pheromones can attract others to you, or let others know you're attracted. Many animals have some form of pheromones, and there is more purpose to them than just attraction.

The term is quite new in the grand scheme of things. In 1959, the term was coined, and it was the combination of two Greek words, meaning "I carry" and "stimulating" respectfully. You carry the pheromones, and they stimulate the person who receives them.

Types Of Pheromones In Animals

As mentioned, pheromones do more than attract sexually. Here are some other uses for pheromones.

Flight Or Fight

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When a group of animals is under attack, they can release pheromones to alert everyone and take action. Some pheromones command the group to run away, while others command to attack. If you've ever swatted a beehive, and all the bees attack you at once, it's because of the pheromones telling them to attack the aggressor.

Territory

We all know about dogs and cats marking their territory, usually by urination. The urine has pheromones that tell others that this is the territory of the animal, and to approach with caution.

There are dozens of other uses for pheromones in animals. Being instinctual, they help drive their behavior by quite a bit.

Pheromones In Humans

In humans, pheromones can help attract others and increase your sexual desire and libido. There are four types of pheromones, and these can be found in some stores to help increase attraction. We'll look at androstenone, androsterone, androstadienone, androstenol, beta-androstenol,and copulin. Let's look at them.

Androsenone

This is said to be the most powerful out of the pheromones when it comes to attracting people for sex. If you're a woman, it can make your sexual desire increase. If you're a man, it can make you look attractive to other women.

However, these claims are a bit dubious. Androsenone is found in boars, particularly in the saliva, and is used to attract mates. However, its presence in humans is contested, with little scientific evidence backing up whether or not humans can react to androsenone. If you see a product saying it contains androsenone, it may be less useful than you think.

Androsterone

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This pheromone is science backed and is a true human pheromone. It makes you more trustworthy to those who receive it. If you're a man, it can make you seem more masculine. This pheromone comes out through urine and from your skin. It is said to have a bit of a musky smell to it.

This pheromone is available over the counter and has quite a few uses than just attracting someone. If you're trying to bulk up, this pheromone can assist you with that. It can help burn fat and keep your muscles strong. It has quite a few uses, making it a pheromone that is worth checking out if you need more testosterone in your life, as it has anti-estrogen attributes as well.

Androstadienone

This pheromone is comforting and can make you more intimate around someone you love. If you've been in a relationship for a long time, this pheromone helps you to maintain the love in that relationship. This pheromone can be able to help women who have PMS symptoms as well.

Studies have found that it may subtly affect your attention when it comes to attracting someone, but its effects as a cologne to make you more sexually attractive is not backed up by much science. However, it has been shown to reduce negative feelings in women, making it useful in some regards.

Androstenol

This pheromone makes you more approachable. If you've had a hard timebeing approached, you could use a bit of androstenol in your life. It's great for the shy people who are a bit awkward when first talking to others.

This hormone comes from male sweat, and there are many misconceptions about it. The sweat comes from must be fresh. Some men think that by constantly working out, they are going to impress women. However, old sweat tends to give out an odor that is unattractive to most women.

Beta-Androstenol

This pheromone is known as the icebreaker pheromone. If you've ever been uneasy around someone, beta-androstenol helps to establish familiarity with them and trustworthiness. It works in harmony with androstenol to make you seem more approachable and be able to communicate with each other much better.

Copulin

This is a pheromone that females secrete. This causes the testosterone in men to increase, making them more attracted to the woman. Copulin comes from the vagina, and the pheromone is said to be quite controlling, making the man either dominant or submissive in these regards.

Copulins are said to influence how open men are to the suggestion of women. Some say that when the woman secretes them, the man is under her control. While this claim may be a bit exaggerated, it does start to make sense when you hear about cases of men wanting to do anything for their women, with those activities sometimes defying all logic. However, effects may vary, as you may expect.

How These Pheromones Work

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When it comes to pheromones, they work subconsciously. You aren't going to detect them knowingly, but your mind will react differently once you're exposed to them. Some of the pheromones are natural, but they may come in the form of over the counter products, such as cologne. People wear cologne for more reasons than just to smell good. They do it to increase their attraction to others.

The olfactory system in your brain is what processes smell. Thisis connected to the emotional, or limbic, system. Some smells can trigger specific memories, making the pheromones work.

What About Homosexual People?

So far, these pheromones only seem to be prevalent when it comes to opposite sexes. What about gay men and lesbians? As you may expect, a gay man is going to respond to male pheromones and ignore female pheromones, and vice versa when it comes to lesbians.

The Pheromone Perfume Scam

Perfumes and colognes are commonly sold as ways to let out more pheromones. We all know the trope about the love potion, where you can make someone fall in love with you instantly. Many seek these pheromone colognes to achieve that effect.

As you should probably guess, many of these colognes are just scams, with little scientific evidence to back them up. While pheromones are real, many of the colognes are based on misconceptions or outright bunk. Many will turn to these colognes to feel more attractive, but at best, it just makes them smell better.

The truth is that you shouldn't rely on perfumes alone. Smelling great can be a confidence booster, but don't think that it can magically make you more attractive on a subconscious level.

Instead, work on yourself. If you feel like you're unattractive, work out to make yourself more attractive, or practice ways to be more confident.

Meanwhile, if you feel awkward, pheromone cologne isn't going to help you entirely. You need to practice how to approach people. You don't need to be Mr. Suave, but by talking to people and being somewhat confident, it can make a lot of difference.

What we're trying to say is that you shouldn't overthink pheromones. They are a real chemical that can make you seem more attractive, but if the two of you don't click and there is no intimacy, at best, it's just going to be a temporary relationship. A relationship only based on passion doesn't work whenever the sex stops being interesting.

Seek Help!

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If you want to be more attractive to people, pheromone colognes and perfumes won't cut it. You need to work on yourself, not mask it away with a scent. One way you can do this is through a relationship counselor. A counselor can be able to assess how you handle approaching others for a potential relationship and make a plan to fix any problems you have. Sometimes, you may have trouble keeping a conversation. Other times, you may just have a hard time approaching others. A therapist can help you improve quite a bit.

Also, if you're having problems with your relationship, a counselor can be able to mend it. You shouldn't need pheromones to help rekindle the fire of an old relationship. A therapist can help the two of you rediscover why you were so attracted to each other in the first place, and help make plans to rebuild your relationship and feel young again.