Smelling a single component of male sweat alters levels of cortisol in women.
Rodents use chemosignals to alter endocrine balance in conspecifics. Although responses to human sweat suggest a similar mechanism in humans, no particular component of human sweat capable of altering endocrine balance in conspecifics has yet been isolated and identified. Here, we measured salivary levels of the hormone cortisol in women after smelling pure androstadienone (4,16-androstadien-3-one), a molecule present in the sweat of men that has been suggested as a chemosignal in humans. We found that merely smelling androstadienone maintained significantly higher levels of the hormone cortisol in women. These results suggest that, like rodents, humans can influence the hormonal balance of conspecifics through chemosignals. Critically, this study identified a single component of sweat, androstadienone, as capable of exerting such influence. This result points to a potential role for synthetic human chemosignals in clinical applications.
Wyart
Claire
C
Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. clairon@berkeley.edu
Webster
Wallace W
WW
Chen
Jonathan H
JH
Wilson
Sarah R
SR
McClary
Andrew
A
Khan
Rehan M
RM
Sobel
Noam
N
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D000730:Androstadienes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects; D004780:Environment, Controlled; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000187:drug effects; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D049049:Pheromones, Human / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D011674:Pulse; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D013542:Sweat / Q000737:chemistry*; D014743:Videotape Recording
D000730:Androstadienes; D049049:Pheromones, Human; D012724:Sex Attractants; C003524:4,16-androstadien-3-one; D006854:Hydrocortisone