Exam 1 pt3 Flashcards
(25 cards)
Milinski & Wedekind study
Collected participants’ DNA Had them smell and rate common perfume ingredients Vanilla Cardamom Cinnamon Patchouli Lilac Sandalwood Musk
Androstadienone
can change a woman’s body chemistry
Wyrat et al (2008) Had one group of women sniff yeast Did so while watching random movie clips Had another group of women sniff synthetic androstadienone Again, while watching movie clips
Results
While sniffing yeast, nothing happened
After sniffing androstadienone:
Emotional effects:
More positive emotions
Sexual arousal
After sniffing androstadienone:
Clinical effects: Increased production of cortisol Associated with arousal, focus, & memory Increased respiration Increased blood pressure Increased heart rate
Effects lasted up to an hour
Wyratt Study #2
Had women sniff androstadienone, then watch sad or erotic films
Elevated women’s mood and sexual arousal when watching erotic films
Maintained women’s positive mood when watching sad films
Impaired women’s memory of negative events in the sad films
Wyratt also had men sniff androstadienone, then watch sad or erotic films
Men showed no difference against a control group on the erotic film (didn’t amplify or change arousal ratings)
Men’s moods darkened when they watched the sad films
Conclusion was that men are unaffected by exposure to androstadienone
How about androtsenone?
Women judge the odor of androstenone as most pleasant when ovulating (the most fertile phase of the menstrual cycle)
May have a subtle mind-altering effect on ovulating women
Lifting their moods and easing the way to sex and pregnancy
Ovulatory Smell Studies
Gave female participants two t-shirts
The women wore one t-shirt for three consecutive nights during their ovulatory phase (when women are most likely to get pregnant)
Wore other t-shirt for three nights during non-fertile stage of their cycle
Then had men smell the two shirts and decide which one smelled better
Sweat isn’t the only source of fertility-status odor on which (straight) men pick up
Vaginal fluids contain copulins
Five specific fatty acids controlled by the level of estrogen in your system
Fluctuate with your cycle
Women produce the most at the fertile stage of their cycle
Copulins smell their most pleasant several days before ovulation
Steinbach, Oberzaucher, & Grammer (2012)
100 men
50 men were exposed to copulins
50 men were not exposed to copulins (controls)
Steinbach, Oberzaucher, & Grammer (2012)
Men played a game against a partner via the internet based on the Tragedy of the Commons
The partner was actually a computer program that used the simple (and generous) Tit-for-Tat strategy
Collected saliva at three points in the experiment (before smelling copulins, during the game, and after the game)
Results
After smelling copulins, men in the experimental group immediately experienced a spike in testosterone in their systems
Testosterone promotes aggressive, competitive and dominant behavior
Of note, such behaviors are viewed positively by females in their fertile phase (ovulation)
Results
In addition to the spike in testosterone (and likely because of it), the men who smelled copulins because much more aggressive and competitive in their gaming strategies
Evolution & Speculation
Pre-bipedal days and genital odors
Speculation about pubic and underarm hair
May signal to men that it’s a good time to mate with the woman
Mate Guarding
Some researchers link the shift in copulin odor during ovulation to “mate-guarding” behaviors
Mate guarding involves increased:
proprietariness
attentiveness
vigilance
Mate Guarding
Some researchers link the shift in copulin odor during ovulation to “mate-guarding” behaviors
Mate guarding involves increased:
proprietariness
attentiveness
vigilance
Shattuck, Dillon, Nowak, et al., (2012)
2000 married couples from around the world China Russia Turkey U.K. U.S
Examined possessive thoughts and behaviors alongside the ovulation cycle
Results
Guarding behaviors increase when a woman is ovulating
Men don’t appear to be aware of what they’re doing
Also, when the relationship is new and not yet steady
Believed to deter out-of-partnership breeding
Attractiveness plays a role
Less-attractive men guard more during ovulation
Why?
Less-attractive women are mostly mate guarded during ovulation
More-attractive women are mate-guarded all the time
Sexual Orientation and Smell
In general, these research lines are new and haven’t explored much in terms of how sexual orientation interacts with these other bio-variables, but there are a few out there (with more pending)
For instance: The Smelly Armpit Studies
Series of studies that ask men and women to inhale the smells from sweat-soaked pads that had been tucked in the armpits of straight and gay donors
Raw armpit odor carries androstadienone (men’s sweat) or estrogen-related (women’s sweat) odors, coupled with MHC-related odors
Sexual Orientation and Smell
Brain activity triggers differently when you encounter certain smells, depending on your sexual orientation
Study had men and women of various sexual orientations sniff: Androstadienone Estratetraenol odorless air Lavender cedar oil
Sexual Orientation and Smell
Measured brain activity using a PET scan (positron emission tomography)
Everyone’s brain looked the same when sniffing lavender and cedar oils
Odor processing centers of brain lit up
Sexual Orientation and Smell
Much different responses when encountering the sex hormones: the hypothalamus lit up
Remind me again, as to what the hypothalamus does?
Releasing sex-hormones and triggering erotic feelings and fantasies
Sexual Orientation and Smell
Straight women and gay men’s hypothalami lit up when they smelled androstadienone
Straight men’s hypothalami lit up when smelling the estratetraenol
Lesbian’s had the same reaction as straight men, but it was more subdued
