No Shower Month: Record How Long You Lasted

[SOS2008]

I think tomorrow I'll see if I can dig up any info on human pheremones and how the sense of smell functions. I'm kind of curious.

There are some fragrances that supposedly use pheromones as an ingredient.

I don't know what that guy used, but it was definitely an aphrodisiac. I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me.

Ok, I'll admit that my one weakness is Grey Flannel cologne for men. I cannot resist a man that wears it.

Hmm, maybe you have been a victim of this ingredient...

 

[Evo]

There are some fragrances that supposedly use pheromones as an ingredient.

Hmm, maybe you have been a victim of this ingredient...

Maybe, I couldn't get how he smelled out of my mind. I just wanted to be around him to sniff him. My attraction to him had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he owned a bank, an oil company, and a silver mine in South America, was cute and in his thirties and lived an Indiana Jones type lifestyle. He was a great dancer too.

 

[Danger]

There are some fragrances that supposedly use pheromones as an ingredient.
Hmm, maybe you have been a victim of this ingredient...

Hey! Quit hogging all the posts!

 

[Huckleberry]

Found some interesting stuff on the sense of smell. I'll site it here for anyone who is interested.
http://www.macalester.edu/~psych/whathap/UBNRP/Smell/smell.html

The olfactory tract travels first to the "primitive regions" of the cortex, and then moves onto the thalamus and neocortex, where the information is interpreted. What is interesting about this is that sight and hearing are processed by a relay center in the cerebral hemisphere before reaching most areas of the brain. Smell, on the other hand, has a direct route to many parts of the brain. This is because the sense of smell is evolutionarily older than sight or hearing. Sight and hearing are closely connected with higher functioning, whereas smell is associated with emotion and sexual behavior, as is discussed in more detail on this web site.

Much is still unknown concerning the nasal cavity. For instance, the shape of the nasal cavity varies from person to person. For some unknown reason, the exit space from the back of the nasal cavity is larger in women than in men. Also, the olfactory membrane is pigmented. No one knows why, but we do know that the pigmentation does play a role in olfaction, because albino animals lack a sense of smell. (Stoddart &Whitfield, 1984)

Does this mean that men and women may interpret smell differently? (A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...)

In order for pheromones to be detected, a special organ, called the vomeronasal organ must be present. This organ is composed of a pair of small pits on the membranous skin inside the nostrils. Recently there has been controversy as to whether or not this organ exists in humans (Lawton 1997). Several scientists have identified what they believe to be the human vomeronasal organ, located near the bottom of the septal wall dividing the nose (Wright 1994). However, other researchers claim that this organ is not present in human adults even though it is present in human fetuses and virtually all other animal species (Lawton 1997). To see a picture of the vomeronasal organ click here.

Other scientists who believe that they isolated human pheromones from a sample of human skin tested the human vomeronasal organ (VNO) to see if it is functional. They designed a special electrode that could be inserted into the pits of the VNO which could detect any electrical activity that would be assumed to occur following a chemical interaction. The electrode was first tested in the olfactory cleft and responses were recorded for substances such as mint and clove oil. When the suspected pheromones were tested, no responses were recorded for the olfactory cleft. But when the electrode was placed in the VNO, responses were recorded, suggesting that neurons in the VNO were firing in response to the suspected pheromones (Wright 1994). Hormone levels in the blood also changed, suggesting that the VNO is somehow connected to the brain (Medical Industry Today 1996). The responses varied among male and female subjects, which would be expected as in the animal world, pheromones usually have an effect on only one sex. The behavioral effects are still unproven as the uncomfortable experimental apparatus makes it difficult to tell if one feels significantly different (Wright 1994).

To be or not to be. That is the question.

Evidence for attraction based on our immune system?

Sounds odd, but it seems to be true. Researchers studying the immune systems of mice found that female mice would choose a mate whose MHC genes were the least similar to her own. MHC stands for major histocompatibility complex. These genes code for special protein markers that are attached to the surface of cells and help the body recognize whether a cell belongs to an organism or if it is an invader such as a bacteria or virus. If a cell or bacteria is identified as an invader, the body’s immune system mounts a defense to kill the intruder. Different MHC molecules are good at recognizing different invaders. By a choosing a mate whose MHC molecules are different, the female mouse is ensuring that her offspring will have a wide variety of MHC molecules that which can identify a large array of invaders and thus promote survival (Furlow 1996).
Research done on human females shows that they too prefer men whose MHC genes are the least similar to their own (Richardson 1996). In an experiment, men were given an unscented T-shirt and were asked to wear it for two nights in a row. During this time they were not to use deodorants or scented soaps. Women were then presented with six shirts - three from men with similar MHC genes, and three from men with different MHC genes from their own. The results showed that the women preferred the scents of men whose MHC genes were different from their own. The scent of men with similar MHC genes often remind the women of a relative’s odor, such as a brother or father while the smells of MHC dissimilar men would often remind them of a past or current boyfriend. This suggests that body odor might have influenced past and current decisions on who to date.

Lots of interesting stuff at this link. Maybe Someone will give a professional opinion on all this?

 

[Evo]

Found some interesting stuff on the sense of smell. I'll site it here for anyone who is interested.
http://www.macalester.edu/~psych/whathap/UBNRP/Smell/smell.html

Thanks Huckleberry, very interesting.

 

[SOS2008]

Maybe, I couldn't get how he smelled out of my mind. I just wanted to be around him to sniff him. My attraction to him had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he owned a bank, an oil company, and a silver mine in South America, was cute and in his thirties and lived an Indiana Jones type lifestyle. He was a great dancer too.

I'll take it he didn't look like he had scissors in his temple, and... Hey, this guy AND the other guy who was attacked by models? I think I need to move from this desolate place.

 

[stoned]

Ha ! now I know why women are just crazy about horses .

 

[SOS2008]

Research done on human females shows that they too prefer men whose MHC genes are the least similar to their own (Richardson 1996). In an experiment, men were given an unscented T-shirt and were asked to wear it for two nights in a row. During this time they were not to use deodorants or scented soaps. Women were then presented with six shirts - three from men with similar MHC genes, and three from men with different MHC genes from their own. The results showed that the women preferred the scents of men whose MHC genes were different from their own. The scent of men with similar MHC genes often remind the women of a relative’s odor, such as a brother or father while the smells of MHC dissimilar men would often remind them of a past or current boyfriend. This suggests that body odor might have influenced past and current decisions on who to date.

That was the program I saw--thank you!

 

[Huckleberry]

Ha ! now I know why women are just crazy about horses .

Um, I don't get it.?

That was the program I saw--thank you!

I've seen this show on television as well. I'm still not not absolutely convinced from the study. It would be nice if they explained how the genes produce the scent and how a person can differentiate it from being the same or different than their relatives. Without that I consider their conclusion mostly conjecture. Maybe they have done this research and I just haven't read it yet.

 

[stoned]

just to let you know guys, I was forced to take shower today because I could not sleep all dirty like pig. and my roomate was kinda giving me that strange look and stuff. I managed 8 days only

 

[JamesU]

just to let you know guys, I was forced to take shower today because I could not sleep all dirty like pig. and my roomate was kinda giving me that strange look and stuff. I managed 8 days only

Has this become a competition?

 

[stoned]

you also could not make past 8 days right ? we are tied then.

 

[Huckleberry]

just to let you know guys, I was forced to take shower today because I could not sleep all dirty like pig. and my roomate was kinda giving me that strange look and stuff. I managed 8 days only

The world is now a better place. At least a better smelling place. Thank you stoned.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Ewwckkh! I feel dirty just from reading this thread. I'm going to go take a bath now.

 

[Moonbear]

The world is now a better place. At least a better smelling place. Thank you stoned.

I'm sure his roommate is the most relieved by all of this! If I wound up with a roommate that didn't shower, there would be dire consequences.

 

[stoned]

The world is now a better place. At least a better smelling place. Thank you stoned.

Hmm..and surprisingly it feels very nice and fresh