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Di Cicco F, Evans RL, James AG, Weddell I, Chopra A, Smeets MAM. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting axillary odor variation. A comprehensive review. Physiol Behav 2023; 270:114307. [PMID: 37516230 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Humans produce odorous secretions from multiple body sites according to the microbiomic profile of each area and the types of secretory glands present. Because the axilla is an active, odor-producing region that mediates social communication via the sense of smell, this article focuses on the biological mechanisms underlying the creation of axillary odor, as well as the intrinsic and extrinsic factors likely to impact the odor and determine individual differences. The list of intrinsic factors discussed includes sex, age, ethnicity, emotions, and personality, and extrinsic factors include dietary choices, diseases, climate, and hygienic habits. In addition, we also draw attention to gaps in our understanding of each factor, including, for example, topical areas such as the effect of climate on body odor variation. Fundamental challenges and emerging research opportunities are further outlined in the discussion. Finally, we suggest guidelines and best practices based on the factors reviewed herein for preparatory protocols of sweat collection, data analysis, and interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Di Cicco
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, Utrecht, CS 3584, the Netherlands.
| | - Richard L Evans
- Unilever Research & Development, Port Sunlight Laboratory, Bebington, UK
| | - A Gordon James
- Unilever Research & Development, Colworth House, Sharnbrook, UK
| | - Iain Weddell
- Unilever Research & Development, Port Sunlight Laboratory, Bebington, UK
| | - Anita Chopra
- Unilever Research & Development, Port Sunlight Laboratory, Bebington, UK
| | - Monique A M Smeets
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, Utrecht, CS 3584, the Netherlands; Unilever Research & Development, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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Loos HM, Schaal B, Pause BM, Smeets MAM, Ferdenzi C, Roberts SC, de Groot J, Lübke KT, Croy I, Freiherr J, Bensafi M, Hummel T, Havlíček J. Past, Present, and Future of Human Chemical Communication Research. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023:17456916231188147. [PMID: 37669015 DOI: 10.1177/17456916231188147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Although chemical signaling is an essential mode of communication in most vertebrates, it has long been viewed as having negligible effects in humans. However, a growing body of evidence shows that the sense of smell affects human behavior in social contexts ranging from affiliation and parenting to disease avoidance and social threat. This article aims to (a) introduce research on human chemical communication in the historical context of the behavioral sciences; (b) provide a balanced overview of recent advances that describe individual differences in the emission of semiochemicals and the neural mechanisms underpinning their perception, that together demonstrate communicative function; and (c) propose directions for future research toward unraveling the molecular principles involved and understanding the variability in the generation, transmission, and reception of chemical signals in increasingly ecologically valid conditions. Achieving these goals will enable us to address some important societal challenges but are within reach only with the aid of genuinely interdisciplinary approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helene M Loos
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
- Department of Sensory Analytics and Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
| | - Benoist Schaal
- Development of Olfactory Cognition and Communication Lab, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS UMR 6265, Université de Bourgogne
| | - Bettina M Pause
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
| | | | - Camille Ferdenzi
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5292, Inserm U1028, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier
| | | | | | - Katrin T Lübke
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
| | - Ilona Croy
- Institute for Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
| | - Jessica Freiherr
- Department of Sensory Analytics and Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
| | - Moustafa Bensafi
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5292, Inserm U1028, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden
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Wu Y, Wei R, Ou J, Shen B, Ye Y. Estratetraenol increases preference for large sexual reward but not impulsivity among heterosexual males. Horm Behav 2022; 146:105266. [PMID: 36152381 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence suggesting that estratetraenol, a human chemosignal deemed a putative sex pheromone, affects social cognition and sexual behavior. The present study investigates the effects of estratetraenol on preference for sexual rewards in heterosexual males. Seventy-six male participants received either estratetraenol or a control carrier in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-participant design. Participants underwent a sexual delay discounting task, in which they were asked to make a choice between a variable larger-later option (i.e., waiting longer to view a sexual picture for a longer duration) and a smaller-sooner option (i.e., waiting for a fixed shorter period of time to view the same picture for a shorter duration). Results revealed that, compared to the control solution, estratetraenol selectively increases preference for larger-later sexual rewards. Computational modelling showed that estratetraenol has no observable influence on impulsivity, as indexed by the discounting rate. These findings suggest that estratetraenol could increase men's sexual motivation, possibly facilitating behavioral processes associated with the pursuit of a sexual partner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Wu
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
| | - Ran Wei
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jianxin Ou
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bo Shen
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
| | - Yuting Ye
- Institute of Psychology, School of Public Policy, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
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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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You See What You Smell: Preferential Processing of Chemosensory Satiety Cues and Its Impact on Body Shape Perception. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11091152. [PMID: 34573175 PMCID: PMC8464758 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11091152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study examines neural responses to satiety- and fasting-related volatiles and their effect on the processing of body shapes. Axillary sweat was sampled with cotton pads from 10 individuals after 12 h of fasting, and after having consumed a standard breakfast. Pure cotton pads served as the control. The chemosensory stimuli were presented to 20 participants (via a constant-flow olfactometer) exclusively, and additionally as context to images of overweight and underweight avatars. EEG was recorded (61 electrodes), and chemosensory (CSERPs; P1, N1, P2, P3) and visual event-related potentials (VERPs; N1, P2, P3a, P3b) were analyzed. The amplitudes of all positive CSERP components differed more strongly from cotton in response to chemosensory satiety cues as compared to fasting cues (P1: p = 0.023, P2: p = 0.083, P3: p = 0.031), paralleled by activity within the middle frontal and temporal gyrus. Overweight compared to underweight body shapes tended to elicit larger VERP P2 amplitudes (p = 0.068), and chemosensory satiety cues amplified the VERP amplitudes in response to any body shape (P2, P3a, P3b; all ps ≤ 0.017) as compared to the cotton control. The results indicate that chemosensory satiety cues transmit complex social information, overriding the processing of analogous visual input.
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