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Lu J, Ye Y, Wu Y. Little evidence that androstadienone affects social distance-dependent prosocial behaviour: a pre-registered study. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240004. [PMID: 39076351 PMCID: PMC11285484 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
In navigating the complexities of social life, humans have evolved to interpret invisible odorous chemical cues, with profound behavioural impacts often unbeknown to the conscious mind. The manifestation of this in humans is evident in the scent of androstadienone (androsta-4,16-dien-3-one), an odorous compound which is considered a putative human pheromone. The current study investigated the effect of androstadienone on social distance-dependent prosocial behaviour measured by a social discounting task, in which participants chose between selfish and generous options. Based on our pre-registration, we predicted a sex-specific effect, with males exposed to androstadienone exhibiting increased generosity, while females would choose more selfishly. Employing a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject design, we recruited 170 participants who were randomly assigned to either the androstadienone or control condition. Olfactory stimuli were administered while participants completed the social discounting task. Inconsistent with our hypothesis, inhaling androstadienone did not impact social distance-dependent prosocial behaviour. This finding was supported by multiple estimates of prosociality, including model-free, model-based and maximum likelihood estimation. Further analyses indicated that androstadienone administration did not influence perceived social distance or bias participants towards being generous or selfish. Thus, our empirical findings provide no support for the hypothesis that androstadienone modulates generosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junsong Lu
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Yuting Ye
- Institute of Psychology, School of Public Affairs, Xiamen University, Xiamen, People's Republic of China
| | - Yin Wu
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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2
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Ferdenzi C, Fournel A, Baldovini N, Poupon D, Ligout D, Thévenet M, Bouet R, Bensafi M. Influence of the human body odor compound HMHA on face perception. Perception 2024; 53:180-196. [PMID: 38216326 DOI: 10.1177/03010066231222473] [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] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Body odors convey information about the individuals, but the mechanisms are not fully understood yet. As far as human reproduction is concerned, molecules that are produced in sexually dimorphic amounts could be possible chemosignals. 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid (HMHA) is one of them-more typical of men. Here, we investigated the possibility that the perception of gender and attractiveness in human faces could be implicitly influenced by this compound. Clearly feminine, ambiguous and clearly masculine faces were primed with an odor of HMHA, a control odor or air. Based on 100-ms face presentation, 40 raters had to identify the face's gender as quickly as possible and provide attractiveness evaluations. 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid tended to be perceived as less pleasant and induced lower sniff duration in women compared with men. As to the effects of HMHA on face perception (vs. control conditions), we found that gender identification and the associated response time were unaffected by HMHA. Attractiveness of the faces, however, increased in presence of HMHA, but not in a sex-specific manner and only for unattractive faces with ambiguous gender. In sum, this study found no evidence in favor of a possible role of this sexually dimorphic compound in intrasexual competition nor in intersexual attraction.
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3
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Ye Y, Nan Y, Wei R, Wu Y. Sex-specific effects of human chemosignal on perception of angry but not fearful faces. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023; 151:106055. [PMID: 36822128 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Androsta-4,16,-dien-3-one (androstadienone), a steroids implicated as a human social chemosignal, has been reported to impact one's emotional perception along the valence axis. The current study takes a step further to examine whether it modulates the perception of angry and fearful faces, two negative emotions that are similar with respect to valence and arousal, but signal different social values. Systematic comparisons of psychophysical data collected from 40 heterosexual men and 45 heterosexual women revealed that androstadienone subconsciously biased heterosexual men toward perceiving the male faces as less angry, while it biased the heterosexual women toward perceiving the female faces as angrier. Meanwhile, androstadienone did not affect the perception of fearful faces in either men or women. These findings indicate that the modulation of androstadienone on negative emotional perceptions is not uniform, suggesting that it alters the perception of specific rather than general negative emotions. In particular, it impacts one's perception of anger, which signals impending aggression, and hence could further impact an individual's social interaction in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Ye
- Institute of Psychology, School of Public Affairs, Xiamen University, No. 422, Siming South Road, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Yu Nan
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 11 Yuk Choi Rd, Hung Hom, Kowloon, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China; School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, 3663 N. Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Ran Wei
- Liang Hua Middle School, Huidong County, Huizhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yin Wu
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 11 Yuk Choi Rd, Hung Hom, Kowloon, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China; Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 11 Yuk Choi Rd, Hung Hom, Kowloon, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
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4
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Rekow D, Baudouin JY, Durand K, Leleu A. Smell what you hardly see: Odors assist visual categorization in the human brain. Neuroimage 2022; 255:119181. [PMID: 35413443 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119181] [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: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual categorization is the brain ability to rapidly and automatically respond to a certain category of inputs. Whether category-selective neural responses are purely visual or can be influenced by other sensory modalities remains unclear. Here, we test whether odors modulate visual categorization, expecting that odors facilitate the neural categorization of congruent visual objects, especially when the visual category is ambiguous. Scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded while natural images depicting various objects were displayed in rapid 12-Hz streams (i.e., 12 images / second) and variable exemplars of a target category (either human faces, cars, or facelike objects in dedicated sequences) were interleaved every 9th stimulus to tag category-selective responses at 12/9 = 1.33 Hz in the EEG frequency spectrum. During visual stimulation, participants (N = 26) were implicitly exposed to odor contexts (either body, gasoline or baseline odors) and performed an orthogonal cross-detection task. We identify clear category-selective responses to every category over the occipito-temporal cortex, with the largest response for human faces and the lowest for facelike objects. Critically, body odor boosts the response to the ambiguous facelike objects (i.e., either perceived as nonface objects or faces) over the right hemisphere, especially for participants reporting their presence post-stimulation. By contrast, odors do not significantly modulate other category-selective responses, nor the general visual response recorded at 12 Hz, revealing a specific influence on the categorization of congruent ambiguous stimuli. Overall, these findings support the view that the brain actively uses cues from the different senses to readily categorize visual inputs, and that olfaction, which has long been considered as poorly functional in humans, is well placed to disambiguate visual information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane Rekow
- Development of Olfactory Communication & Cognition Lab, Center for Taste, Smell & Feeding Behavior, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS, Inrae, Institut Agro Dijon, 21000, Dijon, France.
| | - Jean-Yves Baudouin
- Laboratoire Développement, Individu, Processus, Handicap, Éducation (DIPHE), Département Psychologie du Développement, de l'Éducation et des Vulnérabilités (PsyDÉV), Institut de psychologie, Université de Lyon (Lumière Lyon 2), 5, avenue Pierre-Mendès-France, 69676, Bron, France
| | - Karine Durand
- Development of Olfactory Communication & Cognition Lab, Center for Taste, Smell & Feeding Behavior, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS, Inrae, Institut Agro Dijon, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Arnaud Leleu
- Development of Olfactory Communication & Cognition Lab, Center for Taste, Smell & Feeding Behavior, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS, Inrae, Institut Agro Dijon, 21000, Dijon, France.
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5
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Beaton AA, Jones L, Benton D, Richards G. Judgements of attractiveness of the opposite sex and nostril differences in self-rated mood: The effects of androstenol. Biol Psychol 2021; 167:108237. [PMID: 34864067 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Androstenol has been reported to influence judgements of attractiveness and to affect participants' mood. In the present study, participants were asked to sniff androstenol or a control odour (pure ethanol) unilaterally with the left or right nostril. Subsequently, they rated the attractiveness of photographs of the opposite sex and their own feelings on four mood scales. Participants rated the photographs as significantly more attractive after sniffing androstenol compared with the control odour. This did not depend upon androstenol being perceived as pleasant. Androstenol made male participants feel more lively, and both male and female participants more sexy, when sniffed through the right compared with the left nostril. Participants rated themselves as more irritable and aggressive when exposed to androstenol through the left nostril. The findings are discussed in relation to the effects of arousal on attraction and in the context of current theories of hemispheric differences in emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan A Beaton
- Department of Psychology, College of Human and Health Sciences, University of Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales SA2 8PP, UK; Department of Psychology, Penglais Campus, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales SY23 3UX, UK.
| | - Lowri Jones
- Department of Psychology, College of Human and Health Sciences, University of Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales SA2 8PP, UK
| | - David Benton
- Department of Psychology, College of Human and Health Sciences, University of Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Gareth Richards
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Dame Margaret Barbour Building, Wallace Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, England NE2 4DR, UK
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6
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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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7
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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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8
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Koyama S, Kondo K, Ueha R, Kashiwadani H, Heinbockel T. Possible Use of Phytochemicals for Recovery from COVID-19-Induced Anosmia and Ageusia. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:8912. [PMID: 34445619 PMCID: PMC8396277 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The year 2020 became the year of the outbreak of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which escalated into a worldwide pandemic and continued into 2021. One of the unique symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 disease, COVID-19, is the loss of chemical senses, i.e., smell and taste. Smell training is one of the methods used in facilitating recovery of the olfactory sense, and it uses essential oils of lemon, rose, clove, and eucalyptus. These essential oils were not selected based on their chemical constituents. Although scientific studies have shown that they improve recovery, there may be better combinations for facilitating recovery. Many phytochemicals have bioactive properties with anti-inflammatory and anti-viral effects. In this review, we describe the chemical compounds with anti- inflammatory and anti-viral effects, and we list the plants that contain these chemical compounds. We expand the review from terpenes to the less volatile flavonoids in order to propose a combination of essential oils and diets that can be used to develop a new taste training method, as there has been no taste training so far. Finally, we discuss the possible use of these in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachiko Koyama
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Kenji Kondo
- Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan;
| | - Rumi Ueha
- Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan;
- Swallowing Center, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
| | - Hideki Kashiwadani
- Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan;
| | - Thomas Heinbockel
- Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA
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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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Gomes N, Semin GR. The Function of Fear Chemosignals: Preparing for Danger. Chem Senses 2021; 46:6132829. [PMID: 33569586 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjab005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been shown that the presence of conspecifics modulates human vigilance strategies as is the case with animal species. Mere presence has been found to reduce vigilance. However, animal research has also shown that chemosignals (e.g., sweat) produced during fear-inducing situations modulate individuals' threat detection strategies. In the case of humans, little is known about how exposure to conspecifics' fear chemosignals modulates vigilance and threat detection effectiveness. This study (N = 59) examined how human fear chemosignals affect vigilance strategies and threat avoidance in its receivers. We relied on a paradigm that simulates a "foraging under threat" situation in the lab, integrated with an eye-tracker to examine the attention allocation. Our results showed that the exposure to fear chemosignals (vs. rest chemosignals and a no-sweat condition) while not changing vigilance behavior leads to faster answers to threatening events. In conclusion, fear chemosignals seem to constitute an important warning signal for human beings, possibly leading their receiver to a readiness state that allows faster reactions to threat-related events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Gomes
- William James Center for Research, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Gün R Semin
- William James Center for Research, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal.,Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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11
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Poncet F, Leleu A, Rekow D, Damon F, Durand K, Schaal B, Baudouin JY. Odor-evoked hedonic contexts influence the discrimination of facial expressions in the human brain. Biol Psychol 2020; 158:108005. [PMID: 33290848 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.108005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The influence of odor valence on expressive-face perception remains unclear. Here, three "valenced" odor contexts (pleasant, unpleasant, control) were diffused while scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded in 18 participants presented with expressive faces alternating at a 6-Hz rate. One facial expression (happiness, disgust or neutrality) repeatedly arose every 6 face pictures to isolate its discrimination from other expressions at 1 Hz and harmonics in the EEG spectrum. The amplitude of the brain response to neutrality was larger in the pleasant vs. control odor context, and fewer electrodes responded in the unpleasant odor context. The number of responding electrodes was reduced for disgust in both odor contexts. The response to happiness was unchanged between odor conditions. Overall, these observations suggest that valenced odors influence the neural discrimination of facial expressions depending on both face and odor hedonic valence, especially for the emotionally ambiguous neutral expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Poncet
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté-Inrae-AgroSup, Dijon, France.
| | - Arnaud Leleu
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté-Inrae-AgroSup, Dijon, France.
| | - Diane Rekow
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté-Inrae-AgroSup, Dijon, France
| | - Fabrice Damon
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté-Inrae-AgroSup, Dijon, France
| | - Karine Durand
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté-Inrae-AgroSup, Dijon, France
| | - Benoist Schaal
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté-Inrae-AgroSup, Dijon, France
| | - Jean-Yves Baudouin
- Laboratoire "Développement, Individu, Processus, Handicap, Éducation" (DIPHE), Department Psychologie du Développement, de l'Éducation et des Vulnérabilités (PsyDÉV), Institut de psychologie, Université de Lyon (Lumière Lyon 2), Bron, France
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12
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Barros F, Figueiredo C, Costa A, Soares SC. Sensory Processing in the Autism Spectrum: The Role of Attention to Detail and Somatic Trait Anxiety in the Olfactory Perception of the General Population. J Autism Dev Disord 2020; 51:2338-2353. [PMID: 32964357 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04711-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as autism traits (AT), have been associated with altered sensory processing. However, the role of AT in olfactory processing is still unclear. We analyzed the impact of AT and trait anxiety (TANX), relevant in the context of autism and olfactory perception, in the olfactory abilities of a nonclinical adult sample. Participants (N = 116) completed the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA) and the Sniffin' Sticks Extended Test to measure AT, TANX and olfactory abilities, respectively. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis suggested that women and higher scores on the Attention to Detail subscale of AQ were associated with better odor discrimination, and higher somatic TANX was related to poorer odor discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipa Barros
- William James Center for Research (WJCR), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
- Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Cláudia Figueiredo
- Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Adriana Costa
- Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Campus Palma de Cima, Palma de Cima, 1649-023, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sandra C Soares
- William James Center for Research (WJCR), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
- Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
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13
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Smeets MA, Rosing EA, Jacobs DM, van Velzen E, Koek JH, Blonk C, Gortemaker I, Eidhof MB, Markovitch B, de Groot J, Semin GR. Chemical Fingerprints of Emotional Body Odor. Metabolites 2020; 10:E84. [PMID: 32121157 PMCID: PMC7142800 DOI: 10.3390/metabo10030084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical communication is common among animals. In humans, the chemical basis of social communication has remained a black box, despite psychological and neural research showing distinctive physiological, behavioral, and neural consequences of body odors emitted during emotional states like fear and happiness. We used a multidisciplinary approach to examine whether molecular cues could be associated with an emotional state in the emitter. Our research revealed that the volatile molecules transmitting different emotions to perceivers also have objectively different chemical properties. Chemical analysis of underarm sweat collected from the same donors in fearful, happy, and emotionally neutral states was conducted using untargeted two-dimensional (GC×GC) coupled with time of flight (ToF) MS-based profiling. Based on the multivariate statistical analyses, we find that the pattern of chemical volatiles (N = 1655 peaks) associated with fearful state is clearly different from that associated with (pleasant) neutral state. Happy sweat is also significantly different from the other states, chemically, but shows a bipolar pattern of overlap with fearful as well as neutral state. Candidate chemical classes associated with emotional and neutral sweat have been identified, specifically, linear aldehydes, ketones, esters, and cyclic molecules (5 rings). This research constitutes a first step toward identifying the chemical fingerprints of emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique A.M. Smeets
- Unilever R&D Vlaardingen, Olivier van Noortlaan 120, 3133 AT Vlaardingen, The Netherlands; (E.A.E.R.); (D.M.J.); (E.v.V.); (J.H.K.); (C.B.); (I.G.)
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands; (M.B.E.); (B.M.); (J.d.G.); (G.R.S.)
| | - Egge A.E. Rosing
- Unilever R&D Vlaardingen, Olivier van Noortlaan 120, 3133 AT Vlaardingen, The Netherlands; (E.A.E.R.); (D.M.J.); (E.v.V.); (J.H.K.); (C.B.); (I.G.)
| | - Doris M. Jacobs
- Unilever R&D Vlaardingen, Olivier van Noortlaan 120, 3133 AT Vlaardingen, The Netherlands; (E.A.E.R.); (D.M.J.); (E.v.V.); (J.H.K.); (C.B.); (I.G.)
| | - Ewoud van Velzen
- Unilever R&D Vlaardingen, Olivier van Noortlaan 120, 3133 AT Vlaardingen, The Netherlands; (E.A.E.R.); (D.M.J.); (E.v.V.); (J.H.K.); (C.B.); (I.G.)
| | - Jean H. Koek
- Unilever R&D Vlaardingen, Olivier van Noortlaan 120, 3133 AT Vlaardingen, The Netherlands; (E.A.E.R.); (D.M.J.); (E.v.V.); (J.H.K.); (C.B.); (I.G.)
| | - Cor Blonk
- Unilever R&D Vlaardingen, Olivier van Noortlaan 120, 3133 AT Vlaardingen, The Netherlands; (E.A.E.R.); (D.M.J.); (E.v.V.); (J.H.K.); (C.B.); (I.G.)
| | - Ilse Gortemaker
- Unilever R&D Vlaardingen, Olivier van Noortlaan 120, 3133 AT Vlaardingen, The Netherlands; (E.A.E.R.); (D.M.J.); (E.v.V.); (J.H.K.); (C.B.); (I.G.)
| | - Marloes B. Eidhof
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands; (M.B.E.); (B.M.); (J.d.G.); (G.R.S.)
| | - Benyamin Markovitch
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands; (M.B.E.); (B.M.); (J.d.G.); (G.R.S.)
| | - Jasper de Groot
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands; (M.B.E.); (B.M.); (J.d.G.); (G.R.S.)
| | - Gün R. Semin
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands; (M.B.E.); (B.M.); (J.d.G.); (G.R.S.)
- William James Center for Research, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal
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14
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Inter- and Intra-Species Communication of Emotion: Chemosignals as the Neglected Medium. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9110887. [PMID: 31683710 PMCID: PMC6912305 DOI: 10.3390/ani9110887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human body odors contain chemosignals that make species-specific communication possible. Such communication is without communicative intent and is generally below the threshold of consciousness. Human recipients of these chemosignals produced during emotional conditions display a simulacrum of the emotional state under which the chemosignal was produced. The investigation of an inter-species transfer of emotions via chemosignals was initiated by considerations of the historically anchored interdependence between humans and domesticated species, such as dogs and horses. Indeed, experiments with dogs have demonstrated that human body odors produced under emotional conditions of happiness and fear led dogs to manifest corresponding emotions to those experienced by humans. Preliminary data from horses also show that human body odors collected under fear and happiness conditions activate the autonomic nervous system of horses differentially. These studies indicate the possibility of a road to open our understanding of inter-species emotional communication via chemosignals.
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15
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Singh PB, Young A, Lind S, Leegaard MC, Capuozzo A, Parma V. Smelling Anxiety Chemosignals Impairs Clinical Performance of Dental Students. Chem Senses 2019; 43:411-417. [PMID: 29767685 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjy028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the fact that human body odors can transfer anxiety-related signals, the impact of such signals in real-life situations is scant. In this study, the effects of anxiety chemosignals on the performance of dental students operating on simulation units, wearing T-shirts imbued with human sweat and masked with eugenol were tested. A total of 24 fourth-year dental students (17 F) donated their body odors in two sessions (Anxiety and Rest). Twenty-four normosmic, sex- and age-matched test subjects who were third-year dental students performed 3 dental procedures while smelling masked anxiety body odors, masked rest body odors, or masker alone. The intensity and pleasantness ratings showed that the test subjects could not report perceptual differences between the odor conditions. When exposed to masked anxiety body odors, the test subjects' dental performance was significantly worse than when they were exposed to masked rest body odors and masker alone, indicating that their performance was modulated by exposure to the emotional tone of the odor. These findings call for a careful evaluation of the anxiety-inducing effects of body odors in performance-related tasks and provide the first ecological evaluation of human anxiety chemosignal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preet Bano Singh
- Institute of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Alix Young
- Institute of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Synnøve Lind
- Institute of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Alessandra Capuozzo
- Department of Neuroscience Area, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Valentina Parma
- Department of Neuroscience Area, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,William James Research Center (WJCR), Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada (ISPA), Lisbon, Portugal
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16
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Mutic S, Freiherr J, Cavazzana A, Rocha M, Soares SC, Parma V. The scent of the other women: Body odor-induced behavioral and physiological effects on face categorization. Physiol Behav 2019; 210:112562. [PMID: 31171364 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In body odor research, the interaction of female donors and receivers is scarcely investigated. With the aim to investigate effects of female body odor in a competitive context, we tested 51 women divided into two groups (i.e., a competitive and a non-competitive group, based on verbal instructions). Between groups, we explored whether female body odor exposure (vs. masker odor) modulates emotion categorization (via RT variance and distribution) and physiological reactions (via instantaneous heart rate) in a task with dynamic male and female faces as either angry or happy. Women in the competitive group reported to feel more competitive and performed more accurately. They gathered more emotional information to categorize dynamic faces and when additionally exposed to female body odor, they showed a resistance to cardiac deceleration. Lapses of attention (via RT distribution) occurred irrespective of body odor exposure. Our results support the idea that female body odors, presented in a competitive context, contrast cardiac deceleration and, by tendency, modulate emotion categorization. Data are discussed in the context of chemosignaling and social interactions among women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smiljana Mutic
- Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Jessica Freiherr
- Section Neuroscience of Sensory Perception, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany; Department Sensory Analytics, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Freising, Germany
| | - Annachiara Cavazzana
- Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marta Rocha
- CINTESIS.UA, Department of Education & Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal; William James Center for Research, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sandra C Soares
- CINTESIS.UA, Department of Education & Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal; William James Center for Research, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Valentina Parma
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA; William James Center for Research, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisbon, Portugal; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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17
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Banner A, Gabay S, Shamay-Tsoory S. Androstadienone, a putative chemosignal of dominance, increases gaze avoidance among men with high social anxiety. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 102:9-15. [PMID: 30481725 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Socially anxious individuals show increased sensitivity toward social threat signals, including cues of dominance. This sensitivity may account for the hypervigilance and gaze avoidance commonly reported in individuals with social anxiety. This study examines visual scanning behavior in response to androstadienone (androsta-4,16,-dien-3-one), a putative chemosignal of dominance. We tested whether exposure to androstadienone would increase hypervigilance and gaze avoidance among individuals with high social anxiety. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject design, 26 participants with high social anxiety and 26 with low social anxiety were exposed to androstadienone and a control solution on two separate days. On each day, an eye-tracker recorded their spontaneous scanning behavior while they viewed facial images of men depicting dominant and neutral poses. The results indicate that among participants with high social anxiety, androstadienone increased gaze avoidance by reducing the percentage of fixations made to the eye-region and the total amount of time spent gazing at the eye-region of the faces. Participants with low social anxiety did not show this effect. These findings indicate that androstadienone serves as a threatening chemosignal of dominance, further supporting the link between hypersensitivity toward social threat cues and the perpetuation of social anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Banner
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Abba Khoushy Ave 199, Haifa, Israel.
| | - S Gabay
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Abba Khoushy Ave 199, Haifa, Israel; The Institute of Information Processing and Decision Making, University of Haifa, Abba Khoushy Ave 199, Haifa, Israel
| | - S Shamay-Tsoory
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Abba Khoushy Ave 199, Haifa, Israel
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18
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Banner A, Frumin I, Shamay-Tsoory SG. Androstadienone, a Chemosignal Found in Human Sweat, Increases Individualistic Behavior and Decreases Cooperative Responses in Men. Chem Senses 2019; 43:189-196. [PMID: 29390162 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjy002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that humans can communicate socially relevant information, such as aggression, dominance, and readiness for competition, through chemosensory signals. Androstadienone (androsta-4,16,-dien-3-one), a testosterone-derived compound found in men's axillary sweat, is a main candidate for a human pheromone that may convey such information. The current study aimed to investigate whether androstadienone serves as a chemosignaling threat cue to men, thus triggering avoidance behavior during competitive interaction with another man. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject study design, 30 healthy, normosmic, heterosexual male participants completed the social orientation paradigm (SOP), a monetary game played against a fictitious partner that allows 3 types of responses to be measured in the context of provocation: an aggressive response, an individualistic withdrawal response, and a cooperative response. Participants completed the SOP task twice, once under exposure to androstadienone and once under exposure to a control solution. The results indicate that androstadienone increased individualistic responses while it decreased cooperative responses. These findings support the role of androstadienone as a threatening signal of dominance that elicits behavioral avoidance and social withdrawal tendencies, possibly as a submissive response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Banner
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Idan Frumin
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.,Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
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19
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Ye Y, Zhuang Y, Smeets MAM, Zhou W. Human chemosignals modulate emotional perception of biological motion in a sex-specific manner. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 100:246-253. [PMID: 30390523 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 09/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Androsta-4,16,-dien-3-one and estra-1,3,5(10),16-tetraen-3-ol have previously been shown to communicate opposite sex information that is differently effective to the two sex groups. The current study critically examines if the two human steroids could facilitate interactions with potential mates rather than competitors by acting on the recipients' emotional perception in a sex-appropriate manner. Using dynamic point-light displays that portray the gaits of walkers whose emotional states are digitally morphed along the valence and the arousal axes, we show that smelling androstadienone subconsciously biases heterosexual women, but not men, towards perceiving the male, but not female, walkers as happier and more relaxed. By contrast, smelling estratetraenol subconsciously biases heterosexual men, but not women, towards perceiving the female, but not male, walkers as happier and more relaxed. These findings indicate that androstadienone and estratetraenol prime the identification of emotionally receptive states for the potential mates with whom they are associated, in manners contingent upon not only the recipients' own sex but also their sex perception of other individuals that ensure sex-appropriate behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yuan Zhuang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Monique A M Smeets
- Unilever R&D, Vlaardingen, 3133 AT, The Netherlands; Department of Social, Health & Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584 CS, The Netherlands
| | - Wen Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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20
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Hornung J, Noack H, Kogler L, Derntl B. Exploring the fMRI based neural correlates of the dot probe task and its modulation by sex and body odor. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 99:87-96. [PMID: 30216766 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.08.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The dot probe task implicitly cues attention via emotional information, an effect which is especially pronounced for threat-related cues. However, several questions remain unexplored. The first one is whether chemosignals like the androgen-derivative androstadienone can influence such attentional biases. Second, few studies have addressed sex differences regarding attentional biases. Finally, the neural correlates of these potential behavioral effects based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are not known. In two experiments we aimed to answer these questions. A total of 159 healthy individuals (58 oral-contraceptive-users, 42 luteal women, 59 men) were tested. In experiment 1 (behavioral study) we examined attentional biases behaviorally, while in experiment 2 (fMRI study) the dot probe task was complemented by fMRI. Our results provide robust evidence that in healthy participants fearful but not angry or happy faces lead to a strong general attentional bias. Elucidating the neural basis of this effects points to an early processing advantage in bilateral thalamus for valid compared to invalid cued fear. However, this finding was limited to those participants with the strongest attentional biases and was not linked to behavioral measures. Furthermore, no consistent sex or group differences existed neither did the putative human chemosignal androstadienone reliably modulate attentional biases or change neural processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Hornung
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Hannes Noack
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Lead Graduate School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lydia Kogler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Lead Graduate School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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21
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Banner A, Shamay-Tsoory S. Effects of androstadienone on dominance perception in males with low and high social anxiety. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 95:138-144. [PMID: 29859341 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that humans can communicate both trait-dominance and state-dominance via body odor. Androstadienone (androsta-4,16,-dien-3-one), a chemosignal found in human sweat, seems to be a likely candidate for signaling dominance in humans. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of androstadienone on the perception of social dominance. Moreover, we examined whether high levels of social anxiety, a psychopathology involving concerns that specifically pertain to social dominance, are associated with increased sensitivity to androstadienone as a chemical cue of dominance. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject design, 64 heterosexual male participants (32 with high social anxiety and 32 with low social anxiety) viewed facial images of males depicting dominant, neutral and submissive postures, and were asked to recognize and rate the dominance expressed in those images. Participants completed the task twice, once under exposure to androstadienone and once under exposure to a control solution. The results indicate that androstadienone increased the perceived dominance of men's faces, specifically among participants with high social anxiety. These findings suggest a direct influence of androstadienone on dominance perception and further highlight the preferential processing of dominance and social threat signals evident in social anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Banner
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Abba Khoushy Ave 199, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Simone Shamay-Tsoory
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Abba Khoushy Ave 199, Haifa, Israel
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22
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Smith E, Junger J, Pauly K, Kellermann T, Neulen J, Neuschaefer-Rube C, Derntl B, Habel U. Gender incongruence and the brain - Behavioral and neural correlates of voice gender perception in transgender people. Horm Behav 2018; 105:11-21. [PMID: 29981752 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The phenomenon of gender incongruence is hypothesized to arise from a discrepant sexual development of the brain and the genitals, contingent on genetic and hormonal mechanisms. We aimed at visualizing transgender identity on a neurobiological level, assuming a higher functional similarity to individuals of the aspired rather than assigned sex. Implementing a gender perception paradigm featuring male and female voice stimuli, behavioral and functional imaging data of transmen were compared to men and women, and to transwomen, respectively. Men had decreased activation in response to voices of the other sex in regions across the frontoparietal and insular cortex, while the activation patterns of women and transmen were characterized by little or no differentiation between male and female voices. Further, transmen had a comparatively high discrimination performance for ambiguous male voices, possibly reflecting a high sensitivity for voices of the aspired sex. Comparing transmen and transwomen yielded only few differences in the processing of male compared to female voices. In the insula, we observed a pattern similar to that of men and women, the neural responses of the transgender group being in accordance with their gender identity rather than assigned sex. Notwithstanding the similarities found dependent on biological sex, the findings support the hypothesis of gender incongruence being a condition in which neural processing modes are partly incongruent with one's assigned sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Jessica Junger
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; JARA-BRAIN Institute, Brain Structure-Function Relationships, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Katharina Pauly
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; JARA-BRAIN Institute, Brain Structure-Function Relationships, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Thilo Kellermann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; JARA-BRAIN Institute, Brain Structure-Function Relationships, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Joseph Neulen
- Department of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christiane Neuschaefer-Rube
- Department of Phoniatrics, Pedaudiology and Communication Disorders, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; JARA-BRAIN Institute, Brain Structure-Function Relationships, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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23
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The human body odor compound androstadienone increases neural conflict coupled to higher behavioral costs during an emotional Stroop task. Neuroimage 2018; 171:364-375. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
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24
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Hornung J, Noack H, Thomas M, Farger G, Nieratschker V, Freiherr J, Derntl B. Bayesian informed evidence against modulation of androstadienone-effects by genotypic receptor variants and participant sex: A study assessing Stroop interference control, mood and olfaction. Horm Behav 2018; 98:45-54. [PMID: 29246659 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Revised: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The androgen derivative androstadienone (AND) is present in human sweat and may act as human chemosignal. Though effects of AND have been reported with respect to emotional and cognitive processes, results have been highly inconsistent. For this reason, it is likely that AND-action is dependent on modulatory factors. Here we wanted to specifically investigate the impact of genotypic variations of the AND-receptor OR7D4, as well as the influence of participant sex and concomitant hormonal fluctuations on AND-action during emotional interference processing, olfactory performance and mood assessments. To this end 80 healthy individuals (women taking oral contraceptives; naturally cycling women measured during the luteal phase and men) were tested twice on two consecutive days (AND vs. placebo exposure) with an emotional Stroop task. Also, olfactory performance and mood was assessed. Participants provided saliva samples to measure testosterone, progesterone and estradiol and a blood sample to assess genotypic variations of the AND-receptor OR7D4. We found a small task-dependent reduction of overall error rates under AND but no modulation of effects by genetic variation or group (female OC, female NC, male) with respect to olfactory performance and mood. Additional analyses with help of Bayesian statistics gave strong evidence in favor of specific null hypotheses suggesting that the action of AND was not modulated by either genotypic variations or sex of participants with respect to interference control (bias indices), olfactory self-reports and mood parameters. Additional effects of AND in connection with hormonal fluctuations are reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Hornung
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Hannes Noack
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Lead Graduate School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mara Thomas
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gisbert Farger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vanessa Nieratschker
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jessica Freiherr
- Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Freising, Germany
| | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Lead Graduate School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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25
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Hornung J, Kogler L, Wolpert S, Freiherr J, Derntl B. The human body odor compound androstadienone leads to anger-dependent effects in an emotional Stroop but not dot-probe task using human faces. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175055. [PMID: 28369152 PMCID: PMC5378404 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The androgen derivative androstadienone is a substance found in human sweat and thus is a putative human chemosignal. Androstadienone has been studied with respect to effects on mood states, attractiveness ratings, physiological and neural activation. With the current experiment, we aimed to explore in which way androstadienone affects attention to social cues (human faces). Moreover, we wanted to test whether effects depend on specific emotions, the participants' sex and individual sensitivity to smell androstadienone. To do so, we investigated 56 healthy individuals (thereof 29 females taking oral contraceptives) with two attention tasks on two consecutive days (once under androstadienone, once under placebo exposure in pseudorandomized order). With an emotional dot-probe task we measured visuo-spatial cueing while an emotional Stroop task allowed us to investigate interference control. Our results suggest that androstadienone acts in a sex, task and emotion-specific manner as a reduction in interference processes in the emotional Stroop task was only apparent for angry faces in men under androstadienone exposure. More specifically, men showed a smaller difference in reaction times for congruent compared to incongruent trials. At the same time also women were slightly affected by smelling androstadienone as they classified angry faces more often correctly under androstadienone. For the emotional dot-probe task no modulation by androstadienone was observed. Furthermore, in both attention paradigms individual sensitivity to androstadienone was neither correlated with reaction times nor error rates in men and women. To conclude, exposure to androstadienone seems to potentiate the relevance of angry faces in both men and women in connection with interference control, while processes of visuo-spatial cueing remain unaffected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Hornung
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Lydia Kogler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stephan Wolpert
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jessica Freiherr
- Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Freising, Germany
| | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Lead Graduate School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Ferdenzi C, Rouby C, Bensafi M. The Social Nose: Importance of Olfactory Perception in Group Dynamics and Relationships. PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/1047840x.2016.1215207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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27
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Androstadienone's influence on the perception of facial and vocal attractiveness is not sex specific. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 66:166-75. [PMID: 26827295 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Revised: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The androgen steroid androstadienone, an odorous compound emitted from the human axillary region, has recurrently been considered as a candidate compound involved in human chemical communication and mate choice. Although perception of androstadienone has been shown to influence several affective (mood), attentional, physiological and neural parameters, studies investigating its impact on human attractiveness remain unpersuasive because of incomplete designs (e.g., only female participants) and contradictory results. The aim of this study was to investigate how androstadienone may influence others' attractiveness. Specifically, we used a complete design (male and female raters, male and female faces and voices) to determine whether androstadienone influences the perception of social stimuli in a sex-specific manner, which would favor pheromonal-like properties of the compound, or in a more general manner, which would suggest that the compound has broader influences on human psychological responses. After comparing the ratings of men and women who were exposed to androstadienone masked in clove oil with those of men and women who were exposed to clove oil alone, we found that androstadienone enhanced the perceived attractiveness of emotionally relevant stimuli (opposite-sex stimuli in men and in fertile women). Response times for categorizing the stimuli as attractive or not were also affected by androstadienone, with longer response times in men and in fertile women and shorter response times in non-fertile women, irrespective of the stimulus sex. The results favor the hypothesis of general effects over sex-specific effects of androstadienone, thus questioning the relevance of focusing on that particular compound in the study of human attractiveness through body odor and encouraging the search for other semiochemicals that might be significant for human mate choice.
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Logan AC, Katzman MA, Balanzá-Martínez V. Natural environments, ancestral diets, and microbial ecology: is there a modern "paleo-deficit disorder"? Part I. J Physiol Anthropol 2015; 34:1. [PMID: 25636731 PMCID: PMC4318214 DOI: 10.1186/s40101-015-0041-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 01/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Famed microbiologist René J. Dubos (1901-1982) was an early pioneer in the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) construct. In the 1960s, he conducted groundbreaking experimental research concerning the ways in which early-life experience with nutrition, microbiota, stress, and other environmental variables could influence later-life health outcomes. He also wrote extensively on potential health consequences of a progressive loss of contact with natural environments (now referred to as green or blue space), arguing that Paleolithic experiences have created needs, particularly in the mental realm, that might not be met in the context of rapid global urbanization. He posited that humans would certainly adapt to modern urban landscapes and high technology, but there might be a toll to be paid in the form of higher psychological distress (symptoms of anxiety and depression) and diminished quality of life. In particular, there might be an erosion of humanness, exemplified by declines in altruism/empathy. Here in the first of a two-part review, we examine contemporary research related to natural environments and question to what extent Dubos might have been correct in some of his 50-year-old assertions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan C Logan
- CAMNR, 23679 Calabasas Road Suite 542, Calabasas, CA, 91302, USA.
| | - Martin A Katzman
- START Clinic for Mood and Anxiety Disorders, 32 Park Road, Toronto, ON, M4W 2 N4, Canada.
| | - Vicent Balanzá-Martínez
- Department of Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, University of Valencia Medical School, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 15, E46010, Valencia, Spain.
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Mazzatenta A, De Luca C, Di Tano A, Cacchio M, Di Giulio C, Pokorski M. Swelling of Erectile Nasal Tissue Induced by Human Sexual Pheromone. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2015; 885:25-30. [PMID: 26820728 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2015_190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Most chemically mediated sexual communication in humans remains uncharacterized. Yet the study of sexual communication is decisive for understanding sexual behavior and evolutive mechanisms in our species. Here we provide the evidence to consider 4,16-androstadien-3-one (AND) as a man's sexual pheromone. Our experiment provides support for the physiological effect of AND on nasal airway resistance (Rna) in women, as assessed by anterior rhinomanometry. We found that AND administration increased the area of turbinate during the ovulatory phase, resulting in an increase of Rna. Thus, we discovered that minute amounts of AND, acting through neuroendocrine brain control, regulate Rna and consequently affect the sexual physiology and behavior. Fascinatingly, this finding provides the evidence of the preservation of chemosexual communication in humans, which it has been largely neglected due to its unconscious perception and concealed nature. Therefore, chemical communication is a plesiomorphic evolutive phenomenon in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Mazzatenta
- Physiology and Physiopathology Section, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University of Chieti-Pescara 'G. d'Annunzio', Chieti, Italy
| | - C De Luca
- Physiology and Physiopathology Section, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University of Chieti-Pescara 'G. d'Annunzio', Chieti, Italy.,Clinica Villa del Sole, Caserta, Italy
| | - A Di Tano
- Physiology and Physiopathology Section, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University of Chieti-Pescara 'G. d'Annunzio', Chieti, Italy
| | - M Cacchio
- Physiology and Physiopathology Section, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University of Chieti-Pescara 'G. d'Annunzio', Chieti, Italy
| | - C Di Giulio
- Physiology and Physiopathology Section, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University of Chieti-Pescara 'G. d'Annunzio', Chieti, Italy
| | - Mieczyslaw Pokorski
- Public Higher Medical Professional School in Opole, 68 Katowicka St., 45-060, Opole, Poland.
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Krajnik J, Kollndorfer K, Nenning KH, Lundström JN, Schöpf V. Gender effects and sexual-orientation impact on androstadienone-evoked behavior and neural processing. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:195. [PMID: 25132813 PMCID: PMC4116783 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Accepted: 06/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, the most established and investigated substance acting as a chemosignal, i.e., a substance that is excreted from the body, is 4,16-androstadien-3-one (AND). AND, which is found in sweat and saliva, is known to be responsible for influencing several variables, such as psychophysiological status, behavior, as well as cortical processing. The aim of the present review is to give insight into the variety of AND effects, with special regard to specific cross-sexual characteristics of this putative human chemosignal, emphasizing the neural activation patterns and factors such as contextual conditions. This review highlights the importance of including those contributing factors into the analysis of behavioral as well as brain-related studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Krajnik
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
| | - Kathrin Kollndorfer
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
| | - Karl-Heinz Nenning
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Computational Image Analysis and Radiology Lab, Medical University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
| | - Johan N Lundström
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden ; Monell Chemical Senses Center Philadelphia, PA, USA ; Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Veronika Schöpf
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
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Burke SM, Cohen-Kettenis PT, Veltman DJ, Klink DT, Bakker J. Hypothalamic response to the chemo-signal androstadienone in gender dysphoric children and adolescents. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2014; 5:60. [PMID: 24904525 PMCID: PMC4037295 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2014.00060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2013] [Accepted: 04/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The odorous steroid androstadienone, a putative male chemo-signal, was previously reported to evoke sex differences in hypothalamic activation in adult heterosexual men and women. In order to investigate whether puberty modulated this sex difference in response to androstadienone, we measured the hypothalamic responsiveness to this chemo-signal in 39 pre-pubertal and 41 adolescent boys and girls by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging. We then investigated whether 36 pre-pubertal children and 38 adolescents diagnosed with gender dysphoria (GD; DSM-5) exhibited sex-atypical (in accordance with their experienced gender), rather than sex-typical (in accordance with their natal sex) hypothalamic activations during olfactory stimulation with androstadienone. We found that the sex difference in responsiveness to androstadienone was already present in pre-pubertal control children and thus likely developed during early perinatal development instead of during sexual maturation. Adolescent girls and boys with GD both responded remarkably like their experienced gender, thus sex-atypical. In contrast, pre-pubertal girls with GD showed neither a typically male nor female hypothalamic activation pattern and pre-pubertal boys with GD had hypothalamic activations in response to androstadienone that were similar to control boys, thus sex-typical. We present here a unique data set of boys and girls diagnosed with GD at two different developmental stages, showing that these children possess certain sex-atypical functional brain characteristics and may have undergone atypical sexual differentiation of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Burke
- Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Department of Medical Psychology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Neuroendocrinology Group, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Peggy T. Cohen-Kettenis
- Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Department of Medical Psychology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Dick J. Veltman
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Daniel T. Klink
- Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Julie Bakker
- Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Department of Medical Psychology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Neuroendocrinology Group, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- GIGA Neuroscience, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
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Croy I, Angelo SD, Olausson H. Reduced pleasant touch appraisal in the presence of a disgusting odor. PLoS One 2014; 9:e92975. [PMID: 24664177 PMCID: PMC3963971 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Odors are powerful emotional stimuli influencing mood, attention and behavior. Here we examined if odors change the perception of pleasant touch. In line with the warning function of the olfactory system, we proposed that especially unpleasant odors will reduce touch pleasantness, presumably through a disgust-related mechanism. METHODS Forty-five healthy participants (mean age 23.3 +/- 3years SD, 24 females) were presented to slow (3 cm/s) and fast (30 cm/s) brush stroking delivered by a robot to the forearm. Touch pleasantness under the influence of an unpleasant odor (Civette, smelling like feces) and an intensity matched pleasant odor (Rose) was compared to an odorless control condition. In a pilot study with 30 participants (mean age 25.9 +/-6 years, 21 females), the odors were matched according to their intensity, and we studied the influence of disgust sensitivity on the perception of 4 different odor qualities. RESULTS The unpleasant odor decreased touch pleasantness for both stroking velocities compared to the odorless control (p<0.005) whereas the rose odor did not change touch pleasantness significantly. Disgust sensitivity was correlated with the modulation of touch pleasantness. The pilot study revealed a significant correlation between disgust sensitivity and the perception of the unpleasant odor qualities (r = -0.56; p = 0.007), but not with any of the other odors. CONCLUSION Unpleasant odors are powerful in modulating touch pleasantness, and disgust might be a moderating variable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Croy
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Silvia D' Angelo
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Håkan Olausson
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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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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Roles of sex and gonadal steroids in mammalian pheromonal communication. Front Neuroendocrinol 2013; 34:268-84. [PMID: 23872334 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2013.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2013] [Revised: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 07/13/2013] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
A brain circuit (the accessory olfactory system) that originates in the vomeronasal organ (VNO) and includes the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) plus additional forebrain regions mediates many of the effects of pheromones, typically comprised of a variety of non-volatile and volatile compounds, on aspects of social behavior. A second, parallel circuit (the main olfactory system) that originates in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and includes the main olfactory bulb (MOB) has also been shown to detect volatile pheromones from conspecifics. Studies are reviewed that point to specific roles of several different steroids and their water-soluble metabolites as putative pheromones. Other studies are reviewed that establish an adult, 'activational' role of circulating sex hormones along with sex differences in the detection and/or processing of non-steroidal pheromones by these two olfactory circuits. Persisting questions about the role of sex steroids in pheromonal processing are posed for future investigation.
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Baum MJ. Contribution of pheromones processed by the main olfactory system to mate recognition in female mammals. Front Neuroanat 2012; 6:20. [PMID: 22679420 PMCID: PMC3367429 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2012.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2012] [Accepted: 05/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Until recently it was widely believed that the ability of female mammals (with the likely exception of women) to identify and seek out a male breeding partner relied on the detection of non-volatile male pheromones by the female's vomeronasal organ (VNO) and their subsequent processing by a neural circuit that includes the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), vomeronasal amygdala, and hypothalamus. Emperical data are reviewed in this paper that demonstrate the detection of volatile pheromones by the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) of female mice which, in turn, leads to the activation of a population of glomeruli and abutting mitral cells in the main olfactory bulb (MOB). Anatomical results along with functional neuroanatomical data demonstrate that some of these MOB mitral cells project to the vomeronasal amygdala. These particular MOB mitral cells were selectively activated (i.e., expressed Fos protein) by exposure to male as opposed to female urinary volatiles. A similar selectivity to opposite sex urinary volatiles was also seen in mitral cells of the AOB of female mice. Behavioral data from female mouse, ferret, and human are reviewed that implicate the main olfactory system, in some cases interacting with the accessory olfactory system, in mate recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Baum
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston MA, USA
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