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Cross-modal associations of human body odour attractiveness with facial and vocal attractiveness provide little support for the backup signals hypothesis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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2
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Li ZL, Hummel T, Zou LQ. Sniffing of Body Odors and Individual Significance of Olfaction Are Associated with Sexual Desire: A Cross-Cultural Study in China, India, and the USA. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 51:3703-3713. [PMID: 35997908 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02398-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Olfactory sensations contribute to sexual desire and sexual behavior. However, the degree to which individual importance of olfactory function and body odors relate to sexual desire is not known. This study was conducted to preliminarily examine these relationships among Chinese college students (N = 1903) via the Importance of Olfaction Questionnaire, the Body Odor Sniffing Questionnaire, and the Sexual Desire Inventory, which were used to measure subjective significance of olfaction, frequency of sniffing self or others, and sexual desire, respectively. Individuals who assigned higher importance to olfaction or engaged more in body odor sniffing showed stronger sexual desire. We further explored these associations in different cultures to determine whether cultural consistency existed. We conducted a second study to make cross-cultural comparisons between Indian (N = 313) and US (N = 249) populations. For both countries, a higher importance placed on olfaction and a higher prevalence of body odor sniffing were consistently associated with stronger sexual desire. In conclusion, our study confirmed that people who placed more value on olfactory function or engaged more in body odor sniffing showed stronger sexual desire. These correlations were consistent for both sexes and across different cultures, further indicating the importance of olfaction in sexuality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Lin Li
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, No. 1023 Shatainan Road, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lai-Quan Zou
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, No. 1023 Shatainan Road, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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3
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Karim AKMR, Proulx MJ, de Sousa AA, Likova LT. Do we enjoy what we sense and perceive? A dissociation between aesthetic appreciation and basic perception of environmental objects or events. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:904-951. [PMID: 35589909 PMCID: PMC10159614 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01004-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
This integrative review rearticulates the notion of human aesthetics by critically appraising the conventional definitions, offerring a new, more comprehensive definition, and identifying the fundamental components associated with it. It intends to advance holistic understanding of the notion by differentiating aesthetic perception from basic perceptual recognition, and by characterizing these concepts from the perspective of information processing in both visual and nonvisual modalities. To this end, we analyze the dissociative nature of information processing in the brain, introducing a novel local-global integrative model that differentiates aesthetic processing from basic perceptual processing. This model builds on the current state of the art in visual aesthetics as well as newer propositions about nonvisual aesthetics. This model comprises two analytic channels: aesthetics-only channel and perception-to-aesthetics channel. The aesthetics-only channel primarily involves restricted local processing for quality or richness (e.g., attractiveness, beauty/prettiness, elegance, sublimeness, catchiness, hedonic value) analysis, whereas the perception-to-aesthetics channel involves global/extended local processing for basic feature analysis, followed by restricted local processing for quality or richness analysis. We contend that aesthetic processing operates independently of basic perceptual processing, but not independently of cognitive processing. We further conjecture that there might be a common faculty, labeled as aesthetic cognition faculty, in the human brain for all sensory aesthetics albeit other parts of the brain can also be activated because of basic sensory processing prior to aesthetic processing, particularly during the operation of the second channel. This generalized model can account not only for simple and pure aesthetic experiences but for partial and complex aesthetic experiences as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- A K M Rezaul Karim
- Department of Psychology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
- Envision Research Institute, 610 N. Main St., Wichita, KS, USA.
- The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, 2318 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | | | | | - Lora T Likova
- The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, 2318 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA, USA
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4
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Li ZL, Mahmut MK, Zou LQ. Do you often sniff yourself or others? Development of the Body Odor Sniffing Questionnaire and a cross-cultural survey in China and the USA. Physiol Behav 2022; 255:113934. [PMID: 35908610 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Body odor can convey much information about an individual and thus we frequently engage in sniffing one's own and other people's body odor. However, there is scarce evidence on the within- and cross-cultural variation in body odor sniffing behaviors and no psychometric scale for specifically measuring such behaviors. Hence, our study aimed to develop the Body Odor Sniffing Questionnaire (BOSQ) and used it to make a cross-cultural comparison. METHODS In Study 1, 2,026 participants were recruited from our university, with one half used for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to examine the factor structure of the BOSQ (sample 1) and the other half used for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to verify the factor structure (sample 2). In Study 2, 352 Chinese and 254 US participants were recruited to complete the BOSQ through Wenjuanxing and Amazon Mechanical Turk, enabling comparison of body odor sniffing behaviors across two cultures. RESULTS The Study 1 results showed that the BOSQ comprises 17 items in three factors: self-private body odor, others' body odor, and self-common body odor. The CFA results further supported that this three-factor model was a good fit. The Study 2 results showed that US participants scored higher overall and on the self-private body odor and others' body odor dimensions, whereas Chinese participants scored higher on the self-common body odor dimension. CONCLUSIONS The BOSQ demonstrated good reliability and validity, which is a useful tool for evaluating individuals' body odor sniffing behaviors. Cross-cultural difference existed as the US population reported a higher prevalence of body odor sniffing behavior, compared to the Chinese population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Lin Li
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Mehmet K Mahmut
- Food, Flavour and Fragrance Lab, School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Lai-Quan Zou
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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5
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The social odor scale: Development and initial validation of a new scale for the assessment of social odor awareness. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260587. [PMID: 34905551 PMCID: PMC8670672 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The degree of attention individuals pay to olfactory cues (called odor awareness) influences the role of odors in everyday life. Particularly, odors produced by the human body (i.e., social odors) are able to carry a wide variety of information and to elicit a broad spectrum of emotional reactions, making them essential in interpersonal relationships. Hence, despite the assessment of awareness toward social odors is crucial, a proper tool is still lacking. Here, we designed and initially validated the Social Odor Scale (SOS), a 12-item scale designed to measure the individual differences in awareness towards different social odors. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA; KMO test: MSA = 0.78; Bartlett's test: χ2(78) = 631.34, p < 0.001; Chi-squared test: χ2(42) = 71.84, p = 0.003) suggests that the three factors structure was the model that best fit with the Italian version of the scale. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supports a second-order model with one higher-order factor representing social odor awareness in general and three lower-order factors representing familiar, romantic partner, and stranger social odors. The final version of the scale presented a good fit (RMSEA = 0.012, SRMR = 0.069, CFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.997). In Study 2, CFA was performed in the German version of the scale confirming the validity of scale structure. Study 3 and 4 revealed that SOS total score and its subscales were positively correlated with other validated olfactory scales, but not with olfactory abilities. Moreover, SOS was found to be related to the gender of the participants: women reported to be more aware to social odors and, specifically, to familiar social odors than men. Overall, the results indicated that SOS is a valid and reliable instrument to assess awareness toward social odors in everyday life.
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6
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Oleszkiewicz A, Idziak P, Rokosz M. The Importance of Intact Senses in Mating and Social Assessments Made by Deaf Individuals. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2021; 50:3799-3808. [PMID: 34637046 PMCID: PMC8604834 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-021-02016-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Social perception is a multimodal process involving vision and audition as central input sources for human social cognitive processes. However, it remains unclear how profoundly deaf people assess others in the context of mating and social interaction. The current study explored the relative importance of different sensory modalities (vision, smell, and touch) in assessments of opposite- and same-sex strangers. We focused on potential sensory compensation processes in mate selection (i.e., increased importance of the intact senses in forming impressions of an opposite-sex stranger as a potential partner). A total of 74 deaf individuals and 100 normally hearing controls were included in the study sample. We found diminished importance of vision and smell in deaf participants compared with controls for opposite- and same-sex strangers, and increased importance of touch for the assessment of same-sex strangers. The results suggested that deaf people rely less on visual and olfactory cues in mating and social assessments, highlighting a possible role of sign language in shaping interpersonal tactile experience in non-romantic relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Oleszkiewicz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawida 1, 50-527, Wrocław, Poland.
- Taste and Smell Clinic, Technische Universitat Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Paulina Idziak
- Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Marta Rokosz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawida 1, 50-527, Wrocław, Poland
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7
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Leongómez JD, Sánchez OR, Vásquez-Amézquita M, Roberts SC. Contextualising courtship: Exploring male body odour effects on vocal modulation. Behav Processes 2021; 193:104531. [PMID: 34655713 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Voice characteristics are important to communicate socially relevant information. Recent research has shown that individuals alter their voices depending on the context of social interactions and perceived characteristics of the audience, and this affects how they are perceived. Numerous studies have also shown that the presence of bodily odours can elicit psychological changes in people. Here, we tested whether the presence of male axillary odour would influence vocal modulations in courtship contexts. We analysed differences in vocal parameters and attractiveness ratings across 950 recordings from 80 participants as they responded to opposite-sex target stimuli. Using these, we tested whether men's and women's vocal parameters and perceived stimuli attractiveness differed in the presence or absence of the odour. We expected women to speak with increased voice F0, and men to lower their pitch, when exposed to male body odour, especially if it were of high quality. However, neither the presence of male odour, its quality, nor the addition of androstadienone produced any consistent changes in vocal parameters. Nevertheless, rated stimulus attractiveness was predicted by F0 and especially F0 variability, suggesting that this is a key parameter in signalling attraction during human courtship, and supporting the idea that vocal modulations are context-sensitive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan David Leongómez
- Human Behaviour Lab, Faculty of Psychology, Universidad El Bosque, Bogota 110121, Colombia; Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.
| | - Oscar R Sánchez
- Human Behaviour Lab, Faculty of Psychology, Universidad El Bosque, Bogota 110121, Colombia.
| | - Milena Vásquez-Amézquita
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Faculty of Psychology, Universidad El Bosque, Bogota 110121, Colombia.
| | - S Craig Roberts
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.
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8
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Damon F, Mezrai N, Magnier L, Leleu A, Durand K, Schaal B. Olfaction in the Multisensory Processing of Faces: A Narrative Review of the Influence of Human Body Odors. Front Psychol 2021; 12:750944. [PMID: 34675855 PMCID: PMC8523678 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.750944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A recent body of research has emerged regarding the interactions between olfaction and other sensory channels to process social information. The current review examines the influence of body odors on face perception, a core component of human social cognition. First, we review studies reporting how body odors interact with the perception of invariant facial information (i.e., identity, sex, attractiveness, trustworthiness, and dominance). Although we mainly focus on the influence of body odors based on axillary odor, we also review findings about specific steroids present in axillary sweat (i.e., androstenone, androstenol, androstadienone, and estratetraenol). We next survey the literature showing body odor influences on the perception of transient face properties, notably in discussing the role of body odors in facilitating or hindering the perception of emotional facial expression, in relation to competing frameworks of emotions. Finally, we discuss the developmental origins of these olfaction-to-vision influences, as an emerging literature indicates that odor cues strongly influence face perception in infants. Body odors with a high social relevance such as the odor emanating from the mother have a widespread influence on various aspects of face perception in infancy, including categorization of faces among other objects, face scanning behavior, or facial expression perception. We conclude by suggesting that the weight of olfaction might be especially strong in infancy, shaping social perception, especially in slow-maturing senses such as vision, and that this early tutoring function of olfaction spans all developmental stages to disambiguate a complex social environment by conveying key information for social interactions until adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrice Damon
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Laboratory, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation, Inrae, AgroSup Dijon, CNRS (UMR 6265), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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9
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Spence C. The scent of attraction and the smell of success: crossmodal influences on person perception. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2021; 6:46. [PMID: 34173932 PMCID: PMC8233629 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-021-00311-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, there has been an explosion of research into the crossmodal influence of olfactory cues on multisensory person perception. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have documented that a variety of olfactory stimuli, from ambient malodours through to fine fragrances, and even a range of chemosensory body odours can influence everything from a perceiver's judgments of another person's attractiveness, age, affect, health/disease status, and even elements of their personality. The crossmodal and multisensory contributions to such effects are reviewed and the limitations/peculiarities of the research that have been published to date are highlighted. At the same time, however, it is important to note that the presence of scent (and/or the absence of malodour) can also influence people's (i.e., a perceiver's) self-confidence which may, in turn, affect how attractive they appear to others. Several potential cognitive mechanisms have been put forward to try and explain such crossmodal/multisensory influences, and some of the neural substrates underpinning these effects have now been characterized. At the end of this narrative review, a number of the potential (and actual) applications for, and implications of, such crossmodal/multisensory phenomena involving olfaction are outlined briefly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Spence
- Crossmodal Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Oxford, OX2 6BW, UK.
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10
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Oleszkiewicz A, Suhle P, Haehner A, Croy I. Prior exposure to Hedione, a model of pheromone, does not affect female ratings of male facial attractiveness or likeability. Physiol Behav 2021; 238:113458. [PMID: 34033848 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The existence of pheromones in humans is controversial, partly because of definitional difficulties and partly because of the question of possible chemical substances. The synthetic compound Methyl dihydrojasmonate (Hedione) is potent to bind to vomeronasal-type 1 receptors (VN1R1s) and activate limbic areas of the brain in a sex-specific manner. However, one of the most important definitional points for a human pheromone effect has not yet been investigated, i.e., whether smelling Hedione, a model of pheromone, has a behavioral effect. We tested in females whether Hedione leads to altered perception of male social stimuli. Each of the included women were sensitive to Hedione and were tested around the time of ovulation in three consecutive sessions, during each they were exposed to either Hedione or Phenylethyl alcohol or Odorless air. We measured the speed of male face recognition (implicit priming task) and collected ratings of facial attractiveness and likeability of men (explicit task). Only about half of the women tested were sensitive to Hedione. Those women did not show any effect of Hedione exposure in the implicit priming task and moderate, but non-significant effects in the explicit task. We therefore assume that Hedione is not a potent model of pheromone in humans and this observation may be due to the fact that the artificially produced substance is not suited for signaling the proximity of other humans. Furthermore, the high rate of Hedione-specific anosmia leads to the hypothesis that a substantial proportion of individuals has a poor V1NR1 receptor expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Oleszkiewicz
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Germany; Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Paulina Suhle
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Antje Haehner
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Ilona Croy
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany; Department of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
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11
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Mantel M, Roy JM, Bensafi M. Accounting for Subjectivity in Experimental Research on Human Olfaction. Chem Senses 2021; 46:6065098. [PMID: 33403395 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjaa082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although olfaction is a modality with great interindividual perceptual disparities, its subjective dimension has been let aside in modern research, in line with the overall neglect of consciousness in experimental psychology. However, following the renewed interest for the neural bases of consciousness, some methodological leads have been proposed to include subjectivity in experimental protocols. Here, we argue that adapting such methods to the field of olfaction will allow to rigorously acquire subjective reports, and we present several ways to do so. This will improve the understanding of diversity in odor perception and its underlying neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marylou Mantel
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CNRS UMR INSERM, CH Le Vinatier Bat, Bron, Cedex, France.,Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Parvis Descartes, Lyon, France
| | - Jean-Michel Roy
- Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Parvis Descartes, Lyon, France
| | - Moustafa Bensafi
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CNRS UMR INSERM, CH Le Vinatier Bat, Bron, Cedex, France
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12
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Roberts SC, Misztal PK, Langford B. Decoding the social volatilome by tracking rapid context-dependent odour change. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190259. [PMID: 32306868 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Odours can have a significant influence on the outcome of social interactions. However, we have yet to characterize the chemical signature of any specific social cue in human body odour, and we know little about how changes in social context influence odour chemistry. Here, we argue that adoption of emerging analytical techniques from other disciplines, such as atmospheric chemistry, might become game-changing tools in this endeavour. First, we describe the use of online chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to sensitively measure many hundreds of gas-phase volatile organic compounds in real time. By analysing ambient air emanating from undisturbed individuals or groups, the technique enables a continuous recording of an instantaneous odour change in response to external stimuli and changing social context. This has considerable advantages over the traditional approach of periodic sampling for analysis by gas chromatography. We also discuss multivariate statistical approaches, such as positive matrix factorization, that can effectively sift through this complex datastream to identify linked groups of compounds that probably underpin functional chemosignals. In combination, these innovations offer new avenues for addressing outstanding questions concerning olfactory communication in humans and other species, as well as in related fields using odour, such as biometrics and disease diagnostics. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Olfactory communication in humans'.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Craig Roberts
- Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Pawel K Misztal
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.,Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Ben Langford
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, UK
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13
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Sorokowska A, Groyecka A, Karwowski M, Frackowiak T, Lansford JE, Ahmadi K, Alghraibeh AM, Aryeetey R, Bertoni A, Bettache K, Blumen S, Blazejewska M, Bortolini T, Butovskaya M, Cantarero K, Castro FN, Cetinkaya H, Chang L, Chen BB, Cunha D, David D, David OA, Dileym FA, Domínguez Espinosa ADC, Donato S, Dronova D, Dural S, Fialová J, Fisher M, Gulbetekin E, Hamamcioglu Akkaya A, Hilpert P, Hromatko I, Iafrate R, Iesyp M, James B, Jaranovic J, Jiang F, Kimamo CO, Kjelvik G, Koç F, Laar A, Lopes FDA, Macbeth G, Marcano NM, Martinez R, Mesko N, Molodovskaya N, Moradi Qezeli K, Motahari Z, Mühlhauser A, Natividade JC, Ntayi J, Oberzaucher E, Ojedokun O, Omar-Fauzee MSB, Onyishi IE, Paluszak A, Pierce JD, Pillay U, Portugal A, Razumiejczyk E, Realo A, Relvas AP, Rivas M, Rizwan M, Salkicevic S, Sarmány-Schuller I, Schmehl S, Senyk O, Sinding C, Sorbring E, Stamkou E, Stoyanova S, Šukolová D, Sutresna N, Tadinac M, Tapanya S, Teras A, Tinoco Ponciano EL, Tripathi R, Tripathi N, Tripathi M, Uhryn O, Yamamoto ME, Yoo G, Sorokowski P. Global Study of Social Odor Awareness. Chem Senses 2019; 43:503-513. [PMID: 29955865 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjy038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Olfaction plays an important role in human social communication, including multiple domains in which people often rely on their sense of smell in the social context. The importance of the sense of smell and its role can however vary inter-individually and culturally. Despite the growing body of literature on differences in olfactory performance or hedonic preferences across the globe, the aspects of a given culture as well as culturally universal individual differences affecting odor awareness in human social life remain unknown. Here, we conducted a large-scale analysis of data collected from 10 794 participants from 52 study sites from 44 countries all over the world. The aim of our research was to explore the potential individual and country-level correlates of odor awareness in the social context. The results show that the individual characteristics were more strongly related than country-level factors to self-reported odor awareness in different social contexts. A model including individual-level predictors (gender, age, material situation, education, and preferred social distance) provided a relatively good fit to the data, but adding country-level predictors (Human Development Index, population density, and average temperature) did not improve model parameters. Although there were some cross-cultural differences in social odor awareness, the main differentiating role was played by the individual differences. This suggests that people living in different cultures and different climate conditions may still share some similar patterns of odor awareness if they share other individual-level characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Agata Groyecka
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
| | | | | | | | - Khodabakhsh Ahmadi
- Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad M Alghraibeh
- Department of Psychology, College of Education, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Anna Bertoni
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Karim Bettache
- Department of Psychology, Monash University, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | - Sheyla Blumen
- Department of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica Del Perú, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Tiago Bortolini
- Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Unit, D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marina Butovskaya
- Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,National Research University, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Katarzyna Cantarero
- Faculty in Sopot, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Sopot, Poland
| | - Felipe Nalon Castro
- Laboratory of Evolution of Human Behavior, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal City, Brazil
| | | | - Lei Chang
- Department of Psychology, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Bin-Bin Chen
- Department of Psychology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Diana Cunha
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Daniel David
- International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Oana A David
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Fahd A Dileym
- Department of Psychology, College of Education, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Silvia Donato
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Daria Dronova
- Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Seda Dural
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Izmir University of Economics, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Jitka Fialová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Maryanne Fisher
- Department of Psychology, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada
| | | | | | - Peter Hilpert
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK
| | - Ivana Hromatko
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Raffaella Iafrate
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Mariana Iesyp
- Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine
| | - Bawo James
- Department of Clinical Services, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin-City, Nigeria
| | | | - Feng Jiang
- Department of Organization and Human Resources Management, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China
| | | | - Grete Kjelvik
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences (MH), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Firat Koç
- Faculty of Literature, Department of Anthropology, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey
| | - Amos Laar
- School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Fívia de Araújo Lopes
- Laboratory of Evolution of Human Behavior, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal City, Brazil
| | - Guillermo Macbeth
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, National University of Entre Rios, Concepción del Uruguay, Argentina
| | | | - Rocio Martinez
- Department of Social Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Norbert Mesko
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | | | | | | | | | - Jean Carlos Natividade
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Joseph Ntayi
- Faculty of Computing and Management Science, Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Oluyinka Ojedokun
- Department of Pure and Applied Psychology, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Nigeria
| | | | - Ike E Onyishi
- Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
| | - Anna Paluszak
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - John D Pierce
- College of Science, Health, and the Liberal Arts, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Alda Portugal
- Department of Psychology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Centre for Social Studies, University of Madeira, Funchal, Madeira
| | - Eugenia Razumiejczyk
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, National University of Entre Rios, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Anu Realo
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.,Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Ana Paula Relvas
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Maria Rivas
- Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Muhammad Rizwan
- Institute of Clinical Psychology, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Svjetlana Salkicevic
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivan Sarmány-Schuller
- Center of Social and Psychological Sciences SAS, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Susanne Schmehl
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Oksana Senyk
- Department of Psychology, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine
| | - Charlotte Sinding
- INRA, Centre des Sciences du Gout et de l'Alimentation - CSGA, Dijon, France
| | - Emma Sorbring
- Centre for Child and Youth Studies, University West, Trollhättan, Sweden
| | - Eftychia Stamkou
- Departament of Social Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stanislava Stoyanova
- Department of Psychology, South-West University "Neofit Rilski", Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
| | - Denisa Šukolová
- Educational Research Centre, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
| | - Nina Sutresna
- Jurusan Pendidikan Kepelatihan, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
| | - Meri Tadinac
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Sombat Tapanya
- Department of Psychiatry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | | | | | - Ritu Tripathi
- Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Bangalore, India
| | - Nachiketa Tripathi
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, India
| | - Mamta Tripathi
- SRM Institute of Science and Technology, School of Management, Chennai, India
| | - Olja Uhryn
- Faculty of Psychology, Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Lviv, Ukraine
| | - Maria Emília Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Evolution of Human Behavior, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal City, Brazil
| | - Gyesook Yoo
- Department of Child and Family Studies, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
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14
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Oleszkiewicz A, Hummel T. Whose nose does not know? Demographical characterization of people unaware of anosmia. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2019; 276:1849-1852. [PMID: 30989334 PMCID: PMC6529373 DOI: 10.1007/s00405-019-05414-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE For functionally anosmic subjects, the sense of smell is basically useless in daily activities-they are unlikely to detect the threatening smell of rotten food, gas or smoke, or to enjoy the flavor of food or the smell of perfumes. Although this appears very distressing, functionally anosmic subjects in our sample seemed not to be aware or bothered with impaired olfaction and enrolled for the study targeted to people with a normal sense of smell. METHODS In the large sample of 9139 subjects who declared themselves to have a normal sense of smell, we have retrospectively found a notable proportion of scores indicating functional anosmia. RESULTS When we look at the overall Sniffin' Sticks score, 0.45% of the sample was functionally anosmic and this fraction increased to 3.4% when the identification score of 8 points and below was used. We present demographical information of those subjects, who despite their inability to use smell in daily life, consider themselves healthy. CONCLUSIONS Data offer a new perspective on the importance of olfaction in daily life and supports the notion about the importance of using screening tools in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Oleszkiewicz
- Smell and Taste Center, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawda 1, 50527, Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Smell and Taste Center, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
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15
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Do women love their partner's smell? Exploring women's preferences for and identification of male partner and non-partner body odor. Physiol Behav 2019; 210:112517. [PMID: 30982654 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite evidence indicating body odor (BO) preference is an important driver in mate selection, previous studies have only investigated females' preferences for the BO of strangers. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine if partnered females prefer their partner's BO compared to that of others males' BO. Forty partnered and 42 single, heterosexual women aged 18-35 years, brought to the laboratory a shirt their partner or male friend/relative (respectively) sweated in while wearing. The results indicated that both partnered and single women (blindly) rated their known donor's BO as smelling significantly more similar, familiar and sexy compared to six unknown male's BO, but rated their known donor's BO as less intense smelling than unknown males' BO. While participants indicated they liked their known donor's BO more than that of unknown males' BO, the difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, participants were unlikely to rank their known donor's BO as their most preferred of seven BOs. Finally, partnered and single participants could reliably recognise their known donor's BO and that of unknown males' which was driven by their ability to indicate a stranger's BO was not that of known donor's. Overall, these preliminary findings suggest that partnered females may prefer their partners' BO but this preference may not be due to mate selection but instead a consequence of repeated exposure to their partner's BO.
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16
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Allen C, Havlíček J, Williams K, Roberts SC. Perfume experts' perceptions of body odors: Toward a new lexicon for body odor description. J SENS STUD 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/joss.12314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. Allen
- Institute of Neuroscience, Henry Wellcome Building; Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH United Kingdom
- Division of Psychology; University of Stirling; Stirling United Kingdom
| | - J. Havlíček
- Department of Zoology; Charles University; Prague Czech Republic
| | | | - S. C. Roberts
- Division of Psychology; University of Stirling; Stirling United Kingdom
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17
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Gaby JM, Zayas V. Smelling is Telling: Human Olfactory Cues Influence Social Judgments in Semi-Realistic Interactions. Chem Senses 2017; 42:405-418. [PMID: 28369183 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjx012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
How does a person's smell affect others' impressions of them? Most body odor research asks perceivers to make social judgments based on armpit sweat without perfume or deodorant, presented on t-shirts. Yet, in real life, perceivers encounter fragranced body odor, on whole bodies. Our "raters" wore blindfolds and earplugs and repeatedly smelled same-sex "donors" in live interactions. In one condition, donors wore their normal deodorant and perfume ("diplomatic" odor) while in the other condition, donors were asked to avoid all outside fragrance influences ("natural" odor). We assessed the reliability of social judgments based on such live interactions, and the relationships between live judgments and traditional t-shirt based judgments, and between natural- and diplomatic odor-based judgments. Raters' repeated live social judgments (e.g., friendliness, likeability) were highly consistent for both diplomatic and natural odor, and converged with judgments based on t-shirts. However, social judgments based on natural odor did not consistently predict social judgments based on diplomatic odor, suggesting that natural and diplomatic body odor may convey different types of social information. Our results provide evidence that individuals can perceive reliable, meaningful social olfactory signals from whole bodies, at social distances, regardless of the presence or absence of perfume. Importantly, however, the social value of these signals is modified by the addition of exogenous fragrances. Further, our focus on judgments in same-sex dyads suggests that these olfactory cues hold social value in non-mating contexts. We suggest that future research employ more ecologically relevant methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Gaby
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, 202 Uris Hall, Ithaca, NY14853, USA and.,Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, 65 Dudley Rd., New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Vivian Zayas
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, 202 Uris Hall, Ithaca, NY14853, USA and
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18
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Groyecka A, Pisanski K, Sorokowska A, Havlíček J, Karwowski M, Puts D, Roberts SC, Sorokowski P. Attractiveness Is Multimodal: Beauty Is Also in the Nose and Ear of the Beholder. Front Psychol 2017; 8:778. [PMID: 28572777 PMCID: PMC5436296 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Attractiveness plays a central role in human non-verbal communication and has been broadly examined in diverse subfields of contemporary psychology. Researchers have garnered compelling evidence in support of the evolutionary functions of physical attractiveness and its role in our daily lives, while at the same time, having largely ignored the significant contribution of non-visual modalities and the relationships among them. Acoustic and olfactory cues can, separately or in combination, strongly influence the perceived attractiveness of an individual and therefore attitudes and actions toward that person. Here, we discuss the relative importance of visual, auditory and olfactory traits in judgments of attractiveness, and review neural and behavioral studies that support the highly complex and multimodal nature of person perception. Further, we discuss three alternative evolutionary hypotheses aimed at explaining the function of multiple indices of attractiveness. In this review, we provide several lines of evidence supporting the importance of the voice, body odor, and facial and body appearance in the perception of attractiveness and mate preferences, and therefore the critical need to incorporate cross-modal perception and multisensory integration into future research on human physical attractiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Groyecka
- Institute of Psychology, University of WroclawWroclaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Pisanski
- Institute of Psychology, University of WroclawWroclaw, Poland
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of SussexSussex, United Kingdom
| | - Agnieszka Sorokowska
- Institute of Psychology, University of WroclawWroclaw, Poland
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Technische Universität DresdenDresden, Germany
| | - Jan Havlíček
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles UniversityPrague, Czechia
| | | | - David Puts
- Department of Anthropology–Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition–Center for Human Evolution and Diversity, The Pennsylvania State University, University ParkPA, United States
| | - S. Craig Roberts
- Division of Psychology, University of StirlingStirling, United Kingdom
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19
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Fjaeldstad A, Fernandes HM, Van Hartevelt TJ, Gleesborg C, Møller A, Ovesen T, Kringelbach ML. Brain fingerprints of olfaction: a novel structural method for assessing olfactory cortical networks in health and disease. Sci Rep 2017; 7:42534. [PMID: 28195241 PMCID: PMC5307346 DOI: 10.1038/srep42534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Olfactory deficits are a common (often prodromal) symptom of neurodegenerative or psychiatric disorders. As such, olfaction could have great potential as an early biomarker of disease, for example using neuroimaging to investigate the breakdown of structural connectivity profile of the primary olfactory networks. We investigated the suitability for this purpose in two existing neuroimaging maps of olfactory networks. We found problems with both existing neuroimaging maps in terms of their structural connectivity to known secondary olfactory networks. Based on these findings, we were able to merge the existing maps to a new template map of olfactory networks with connections to all key secondary olfactory networks. We introduce a new method that combines diffusion tensor imaging with probabilistic tractography and pattern recognition techniques. This method can obtain comprehensive and reliable fingerprints of the structural connectivity underlying the neural processing of olfactory stimuli in normosmic adults. Combining the novel proposed method for structural fingerprinting with the template map of olfactory networks has great potential to be used for future neuroimaging investigations of olfactory function in disease. With time, the proposed method may even come to serve as structural biomarker for early detection of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Fjaeldstad
- Flavour Institute, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Regional Hospital Unit West Jutland, Holstebro, Denmark
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - H. M. Fernandes
- Flavour Institute, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - T. J. Van Hartevelt
- Flavour Institute, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - C. Gleesborg
- Flavour Institute, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - A. Møller
- Flavour Institute, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET-Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - T. Ovesen
- Flavour Institute, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Regional Hospital Unit West Jutland, Holstebro, Denmark
| | - M. L. Kringelbach
- Flavour Institute, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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20
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Carrito ML, Santos IM, Alho L, Ferreira J, Soares SC, Bem-Haja P, Silva CF, Perrett DI. Do Masculine Men Smell Better? An Association Between Skin Color Masculinity and Female Preferences for Body Odor. Chem Senses 2017; 42:269-275. [DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjx004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
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21
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Valentova JV, Varella MAC, Havlíček J, Kleisner K. Positive association between vocal and facial attractiveness in women but not in men: A cross-cultural study. Behav Processes 2016; 135:95-100. [PMID: 27986472 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2016] [Revised: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Various species use multiple sensory modalities in the communication processes. In humans, female facial appearance and vocal display are correlated and it has been suggested that they serve as redundant markers indicating the bearer's reproductive potential and/or residual fertility. In men, evidence for redundancy of facial and vocal attractiveness is ambiguous. We tested the redundancy/multiple signals hypothesis by correlating perceived facial and vocal attractiveness in men and women from two different populations, Brazil and the Czech Republic. We also investigated whether facial and vocal attractiveness are linked to facial morphology. Standardized facial pictures and vocal samples of 86 women (47 from Brazil) and 81 men (41 from Brazil), aged 18-35, were rated for attractiveness by opposite-sex raters. Facial and vocal attractiveness were found to positively correlate in women but not in men. We further applied geometric morphometrics and regressed facial shape coordinates on facial and vocal attractiveness ratings. In women, facial shape was linked to their facial attractiveness but there was no association between facial shape and vocal attractiveness. In men, none of these associations was significant. Having shown that women with more attractive faces possess also more attractive voices, we thus only partly supported the redundant signal hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jan Havlíček
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Karel Kleisner
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
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22
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Sobotková M, Fialová J, Roberts SC, Havlíček J. Effect of Biological Relatedness on Perfume Selection for Others: Preliminary Evidence. Perception 2016; 46:498-515. [PMID: 27927973 DOI: 10.1177/0301006616682514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
People tend to choose perfumes to complement their body odour. As kin share some body odour qualities, their ability to select complementary perfumes for relatives might be higher compared with selection for nonrelatives. We tested this in two studies, comparing selection of a perfume for a target man by himself and by either a familiar but unrelated individual (girlfriend; Study 1) or a relative (sister; Study 2). Target men applied the two perfumes (own or other's choice) to their axillae and then wore cotton pads for 12 hr. Collected perfume-body odour blends and perfumes alone were assessed by rater panels. In Study 1, the blends were rated as nominally more pleasant when body odours were mixed with the perfumes selected by girlfriends compared with those selected by target men themselves. In Study 2, body odours mixed with perfumes selected by sisters were rated significantly more attractive than those mixed with perfumes selected by target men. No significant differences were found for attractiveness and pleasantness ratings when perfumes were rated alone, suggesting that it was the resulting blends that were uniquely different. Our results indicate that sisters might be particularly tuned to select suitable perfumes for their siblings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jitka Fialová
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | | | - Jan Havlíček
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
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23
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Allen C, Cobey KD, Havlíček J, Roberts SC. The impact of artificial fragrances on the assessment of mate quality cues in body odor. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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24
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Fialová J, Roberts SC, Havlíček J. Consumption of garlic positively affects hedonic perception of axillary body odour. Appetite 2015; 97:8-15. [PMID: 26551789 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2015.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Revised: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Beneficial health properties of garlic, as well as its most common adverse effect - distinctive breath odour - are well-known. In contrast, analogous research on the effect of garlic on axillary odour is currently missing. Here, in three studies varying in the amount and nature of garlic provided (raw garlic in study 1 and 2, garlic capsules in study 3), we tested the effect of garlic consumption on the quality of axillary odour. A balanced within-subject experimental design was used. In total, 42 male odour donors were allocated to either a "garlic" or "non-garlic" condition, after which they wore axillary pads for 12 h to collect body odour. One week later, the conditions were reversed. Odour samples were then judged for their pleasantness, attractiveness, masculinity and intensity by 82 women. We found no significant differences in ratings of any characteristics in study 1. However, the odour of donors after an increased garlic dosage was assessed as significantly more pleasant, attractive and less intense (study 2), and more attractive and less intense in study 3. Our results indicate that garlic consumption may have positive effects on perceived body odour hedonicity, perhaps due to its health effects (e.g., antioxidant properties, antimicrobial activity).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitka Fialová
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, 128 43, Czech Republic; National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, Klecany, 250 67, Czech Republic.
| | - S Craig Roberts
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.
| | - Jan Havlíček
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, 128 43, Czech Republic; National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, Klecany, 250 67, Czech Republic.
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25
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Drea CM. D'scent of man: a comparative survey of primate chemosignaling in relation to sex. Horm Behav 2015; 68:117-33. [PMID: 25118943 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Revised: 07/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue (Chemosignals and Reproduction). As highly visual animals, primates, in general, and Old World species (including humans), in particular, are not immediately recognized for reliance in their daily interactions on olfactory communication. Nevertheless, views on primate olfactory acuity and the pervasiveness of their scent signaling are changing, with increased appreciation for the important role of body odors in primate social and sexual behavior. All major taxonomic groups, from lemurs to humans, are endowed with scent-producing organs, and either deposit or exude a wealth of volatile compounds, many of which are known semiochemicals. This review takes a comparative perspective to illustrate the reproductive context of primate signaling, the relevant information content of their signals, the sexually differentiated investigative responses generated, and the behavioral or physiological consequences of message transmission to both signaler and receiver. Throughout, humans are placed alongside their relatives to illustrate the evolutionary continuum in the sexual selection of primate chemosignals. This ever-growing body of evidence points to a critical role of scent in guiding the social behavior and reproductive function throughout the primate order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Drea
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0383, USA; Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0383, USA.
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26
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Lübke KT, Pause BM. Always follow your nose: the functional significance of social chemosignals in human reproduction and survival. Horm Behav 2015; 68:134-44. [PMID: 25637403 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2014] [Revised: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Chemosignals and Reproduction" Across phyla, chemosensory communication is crucial for mediating a variety of social behaviors, which form the basis for ontogenetic and phylogenetic survival. In the present paper, evidence on chemosensory communication in humans, with special reference to reproduction and survival, will be presented. First, the impact of chemosignals on human reproduction will be reviewed. Work will be presented, showing how chemosensory signals are involved in mate choice and partnership formation by communicating attractiveness and facilitating a partner selection, which is of evolutionary advantage, and furthermore providing information about the level of sexual hormones. In addition to direct effects on phylogenetic survival, chemosignals indirectly aid reproductive success by fostering harm protection. Results will be presented, showing that chemosensory communication aids the emotional bond between mother and child, which in turn motivates parental caretaking and protection, leading to infant survival. Moreover, the likelihood of group survival can be increased through the use of stress-related chemosignals. Stress-related chemosignals induce a stress-related physiology in the perceiver, thereby priming a fight-flight-response, which is necessary for an optimum adaption to environmental harm. Finally, effects of sexual orientation on chemosensory communication will be discussed in terms of their putative role in stabilizing social groups, which might indirectly provide harm protection and foster survival. An integrative model of the presented data will be introduced. In conclusion, an outlook, focusing on the involvement of chemosensory communication in human social behavior and illustrating a novel approach to the significance of chemosensory signals in human survival, will be given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin T Lübke
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Bettina M Pause
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Klailova M, Lee PC. Wild western lowland gorillas signal selectively using odor. PLoS One 2014; 9:e99554. [PMID: 25006973 PMCID: PMC4090154 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 05/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammals communicate socially through visual, auditory and chemical signals. The chemical sense is the oldest sense and is shared by all organisms including bacteria. Despite mounting evidence for social chemo-signaling in humans, the extent to which it modulates behavior is debated and can benefit from comparative models of closely related hominoids. The use of odor cues in wild ape social communication has been only rarely explored. Apart from one study on wild chimpanzee sniffing, our understanding is limited to anecdotes. We present the first study of wild gorilla chemo-communication and the first analysis of olfactory signaling in relation to arousal levels and odor strength in wild apes. If gorilla scent is used as a signaling mechanism instead of only a sign of arousal or stress, odor emission should be context specific and capable of variation as a function of the relationships between the emitter and perceiver(s). Measured through a human pungency scale, we determined the factors that predicted extreme levels of silverback odor for one wild western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) group silverback. Extreme silverback odor was predicted by the presence and intensity of inter-unit interactions, silverback anger, distress and long-calling auditory rates, and the absence of close proximity between the silverback and mother of the youngest infant. Odor strength also varied according to the focal silverback's strategic responses during high intensity inter-unit interactions. Silverbacks appear to use odor as a modifiable form of communication; where odor acts as a highly flexible, context dependent signaling mechanism to group members and extra-group units. The importance of olfaction to ape social communication may be especially pertinent in Central African forests where limited visibility may necessitate increased reliance on other senses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Klailova
- Division of Psychology, Behaviour, Evolution and Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom
- Departamento de Antropologia, Centro de Administração e Politicas Públicas, Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney, United Kingdom
| | - Phyllis C. Lee
- Division of Psychology, Behaviour, Evolution and Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom
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Fasunla AJ, Douglas DD, Adeosun AA, Steinbach S, Nwaorgu OGB. Effect of strong fragrance on olfactory detection threshold. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2014; 151:438-42. [PMID: 24898071 DOI: 10.1177/0194599814536851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the olfactory threshold of healthy volunteers at the University College Hospital, Ibadan and to investigate the effect of perfume on their olfactory detection thresholds. STUDY DESIGN A quasi-experimental study on olfactory detection thresholds of healthy volunteers from September 2013 to November 2013. SETTING Tertiary health institution. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A structured questionniare was administered to the participants in order to obtain information on sociodemographics, occupation, ability to perceive smell, use of perfume, effects of perfume on appetite and self-confidence, history of allergy, and previous nasal surgery. Participants subjectively rated their olfactory performance. Subsequently, they had olfactory detection threshold testing done at baseline and after exposure to perfume with varied concentrations of n-butanol in a forced triple response and staircase fashion. RESULTS Healthy volunteers, 37 males and 63 females, were evaluated. Their ages ranged from 19 to 59 years with a mean of 31 years ± 8. Subjectively, 94% of the participants had excellent olfactory function. In the pre-exposure forced triple response, 88% were able to detect the odor at ≤.25 mmol/l concentration while in the post-exposure forced triple response, only 66% were able to detect the odor at ≤.25 mmol/l concentration. There is also a statistical significant difference in the olfactory detection threshold score between the pre-exposure and post-exposure period in the participants (P < .05). CONCLUSION Use of strong fragrances affects the olfactory detection threshold. Therefore patients and clinicians should be aware of this and its effects on the outcome of test of olfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayotunde James Fasunla
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - David Dayo Douglas
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Aderemi Adeleke Adeosun
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Silke Steinbach
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany
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Hönekopp J. Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and Male Facial Attractiveness: New Data and a Meta-Analysis. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1177/147470491301100501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Digit ratio (2D:4D) appears to correlate negatively with prenatal testosterone (T) effects in humans. As T probably increases facial masculinity, which in turn might be positively related to male facial attractiveness, a number of studies have looked into the relationship between 2D:4D and male facial attractiveness, showing equivocal results. Here, I present the largest and third largest samples so far, which investigate the relationship between 2D:4D and male facial attractiveness in adolescents ( n = 115) and young men ( n = 80). I then present random-effects meta-analyses of the available data (seven to eight samples, overall n = 362 to 469). These showed small ( r ≈ −.09), statistically non-significant relationships between 2D:4D measures and male facial attractiveness. Thus, 2D:4D studies offer no convincing evidence at present that prenatal T has a positive effect on male facial attractiveness. However, a consideration of confidence intervals shows that, at present, a theoretically meaningful relationship between 2D:4D and male facial attractiveness cannot be ruled out either.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Hönekopp
- Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne,
UK
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30
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Mildner S, Buchbauer G. Human Body Scents: Do they Influence our Behavior? Nat Prod Commun 2013. [DOI: 10.1177/1934578x1300801138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pheromonal communication in the animal world has been of great research interest for a long time. While extraordinary discoveries in this field have been made, the importance of the human sense of smell was of far lower interest. Humans are seen as poor smellers and therefore research about human olfaction remains quite sparse compared with other animals. Nevertheless amazing achievements have been made during the past 15 years. This is a collection of available data on this topic and a controversial discussion on the role of putative human pheromones in our modern way of living. While the focus was definitely put on behavioral changes evoked by putative human pheromones this article also includes other important aspects such as the possible existence of a human vomeronasal organ. If pheromones do have an influence on human behavior there has to be a receptor organ. How are human body scents secreted and turned into odorous substances? And how can con-specifics detect those very odors and transmit them to the brain? Apart from that the most likely candidates for human pheromones are taken on account and their impact on human behavior is shown in various detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Mildner
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Diagnostics, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard Buchbauer
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Diagnostics, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
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31
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Roberts SC, Cobey KD, Klapilová K, Havlíček J. An evolutionary approach offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between oral contraception and sexual desire. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2013; 42:1369-1375. [PMID: 23733157 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-013-0126-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- S Craig Roberts
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK,
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32
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Harker M, Carvell AM, Marti VPJ, Riazanskaia S, Kelso H, Taylor D, Grimshaw S, Arnold DS, Zillmer R, Shaw J, Kirk JM, Alcasid ZM, Gonzales-Tanon S, Chan GP, Rosing EAE, Smith AM. Functional characterisation of a SNP in the ABCC11 allele - effects on axillary skin metabolism, odour generation and associated behaviours. J Dermatol Sci 2013; 73:23-30. [PMID: 24076068 DOI: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2013.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2013] [Revised: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 08/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), 538G→A, leading to a G180R substitution in the ABCC11 gene results in reduced concentrations of apocrine derived axillary odour precursors. OBJECTIVE Determine the axillary odour levels in the SNP ABCC11 genotype variants and to investigate if other parameters associated with odour production are affected. METHODS Axillary odour was assessed by subjective quantification and gas chromatography headspace analysis. Metabolite profiles, microbiome diversity and personal hygiene habits were also assessed. RESULTS Axillary odour in the A/A homozygotes was significantly lower compared to the G/A and G/G genotypes. However, the perception-based measures still detected appreciable levels of axillary odour in the A/A subjects. Metabolomic analysis highlighted significant differences in axillary skin metabolites between A/A subjects compared to those carrying the G allele. These differences resulted in A/A subjects lacking specific volatile odourants in the axillary headspace, but all genotypes produced odoriferous short chain fatty acids. Microbiomic analysis revealed differences in the relative abundance of key bacterial genera associated with odour generation between the different genotypes. Deodorant usage indicated a high level of self awareness of axillary odour levels with A/A individuals less likely to adopt personal hygiene habits designed to eradicate/mask its presence. CONCLUSIONS The SNP in the ABCC11 gene results in lower levels of axillary odour in the A/A homozygotes compared to those carrying the G allele, but A/A subjects still produce noticeable amounts of axillary odour. Differences in axillary skin metabolites, bacterial genera and personal hygiene behaviours also appear to be influenced by this SNP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Harker
- Unilever Research & Development, Quarry Road East, Port Sunlight, United Kingdom.
| | - Ann-Marie Carvell
- Unilever Research & Development, Quarry Road East, Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
| | - Vernon P J Marti
- Unilever Research & Development, Quarry Road East, Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
| | - Svetlana Riazanskaia
- Unilever Research & Development, Quarry Road East, Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
| | - Hailey Kelso
- Unilever Research & Development, Quarry Road East, Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
| | - David Taylor
- Unilever Research & Development, Quarry Road East, Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
| | - Sally Grimshaw
- Unilever Research & Development, Quarry Road East, Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
| | - David S Arnold
- Unilever Research & Development, Quarry Road East, Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
| | - Ruediger Zillmer
- Unilever Research & Development, Quarry Road East, Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
| | - Jane Shaw
- Unilever Research & Development, Quarry Road East, Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
| | - Jayne M Kirk
- Waters Corporation, MS Technologies Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Zee M Alcasid
- Unilever Philippines Inc., 1351 United Nations Avenue, Paco, 1007 Manila, Philippines
| | - Sheila Gonzales-Tanon
- Unilever Philippines Inc., 1351 United Nations Avenue, Paco, 1007 Manila, Philippines
| | - Gertrude P Chan
- Clinical Trial Management & Testing Associates, Inc., Unit 1207, 2301 Civic Place, Civic Drive, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines
| | - Egge A E Rosing
- Unilever Research Laboratory, Oliver van Noortlaan 120, 3133 AT Vlaardingen, The Netherlands
| | - Adrian M Smith
- Unilever Discover, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, United Kingdom
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Valentová J, Roberts SC, Havlícek J. Preferences for facial and vocal masculinity in homosexual men: the role of relationship status, sexual restrictiveness, and self-perceived masculinity. Perception 2013; 42:187-97. [PMID: 23700957 DOI: 10.1068/p6909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Studies on mate preferences usually examine heterosexual attraction; comparatively little is known about preferences of individuals whose sexuality is aimed at the same sex. We examined preferences of two groups of androphilic individuals--homosexual men and heterosexual women--for male facial and vocal level of masculinity. Facial images of 58 men and vocal recordings of 30 men were rated by 51 heterosexual women and 33 homosexual men for their attractiveness and masculinity--femininity. In both groups of raters, ratings of vocal attractiveness and masculinity were positively correlated, but there was no overall preference for facial masculinity. After splitting raters according to their relationship status, sexual restrictiveness, and self-rated masculinity, we found significant preferences for masculine voices only in single homosexual men and coupled heterosexual women, while a preference for feminine male faces was found in coupled homosexual men. Furthermore, homosexual men describing themselves as relatively masculine significantly preferred masculine voices but also more feminine male faces. Our results demonstrate that conditional mate preferences are not restricted to heterosexual interactions, and homosexual men prefer a mixture of masculine and feminine traits in their potential male partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaroslava Valentová
- Center for Theoretical Study, Charles University, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Jilska 1, 11000 Prague, Czech Republic.
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Harvey-Woodworth CN. Dimethylsulphidemia: the significance of dimethyl sulphide in extra-oral, blood borne halitosis. Br Dent J 2013; 214:E20. [DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2013.329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Röder S, Fink B, Jones BC. Facial, Olfactory, and Vocal Cues to Female Reproductive Value. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1177/147470491301100209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial, olfactory, and vocal cues may advertise women's fertility. However, most of the evidence for this proposal has come from studies of changes in young adult women's attractiveness over the menstrual cycle. By contrast with this emphasis on changes in attractiveness over the menstrual cycle, possible changes in women's attractiveness over their lifespan have received little attention. The present study investigated men's ratings of young girls' (11–15 years old), adult women's (19–30 years old) and circum-menopausal women's (50–65 years old) facial, body odor, and vocal attractiveness and femininity. Faces and voices, but not body odors, of young girls and adult women were perceived to be significantly more attractive and feminine than those of circum-menopausal women. These data suggest that facial and vocal cues may be cues to women's reproductive value, but that body odor cues do not necessarily advertise this information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Röder
- Department of Sociobiology_Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bernhard Fink
- Department of Sociobiology_Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Benedict C. Jones
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, 58 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QB, United Kingdom
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36
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Craig Roberts S, Havlíček J, Petrie M. Repeatability of odour preferences across time. FLAVOUR FRAG J 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/ffj.3142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Craig Roberts
- Division of Psychology, School of Natural Sciences; University of Stirling; Stirling; FK9 4LA; UK
| | - Jan Havlíček
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities; Charles University in Prague; Czech Republic
| | - Marion Petrie
- Institute for Ageing and Health; Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; NE4 5PL; UK
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Havlíček J, Lenochová P, Oberzaucher E, Grammer K, Roberts SC. Does Length of Sampling Affect Quality of Body Odor Samples? CHEMOSENS PERCEPT 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s12078-011-9104-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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