There is clear evidence that attraction is at least partly influenced (and needs to be) by chemical signals from within (hormones) and from outside (pheromones) our bodies.

 
But our understanding of these chemicals is still in its infancy. All research studies, for example, involve introducing a pheromone artificially to the male or females involved, and then observing or measuring the responses. What is still unclear is just what the natural signaling mechanism is.

 
We know that fertility, for example, triggers the production of hormones that effect our perception of others, our responses to male pheromones, and the fertility cycles of other females we associate closely with. We know that the presence of male pheromones also modulates the female fertility cycle. We know that females can smell genetic diversity and that this will effect how attractive she finds a male.

 
What we do not yet know is whether or how males and females emit these pheromones that result in mood changes, increased attraction, and attitude changes. We know that pheromones can have this effect in a controlled study. We just don’t know how that works in practice.

 
For example, the smell of copulins clearly stirs up a guy. And in the research situation, it did not matter when in the fertility cycle the copulins were smelled. The smell of any copulins drove the guys wild (is that why some guys buy ‘used knickers’??). They also cause a guy to see a female as more attractive.

 
But it may turn out that the smell of copulins is only evident to guys during the fertile phase of the month. If so, then that may be because we produce more copulin at that time, the smell of copulins is stronger at that time and so more readily smelled by guys or perhaps we produce other carrier hormones when we are fertile?

 
We just don’t know yet.

 
We have the tantalizing knowledge that the smell of vaginal secretions increases a guys testosterone levels dramatically. If that only occurs when a guy has his nose up close and personal, then – whilst it may help to make him more virile – it may not play a role in the attraction process that got him up close and personal in the first place.

 
See what I mean? We need to know more before we can be sure of the process by which pheromones effect attraction. And that is a problem for us females. Because knowledge gives us power. And forewarned is forearmed.

There is also the assumption in all of this research that “all men are equal” or that “all females are equal”.

For example, when male pheromones (sweat) are collected, no distinction is attempted between the “quality” of male contributors. There appears to be the assumption that all males produce the same strength pheromones. Yet animal research would suggest otherwise.

The comment of one male Pick Up Artist) to this technique was:

One thing you can be sure about – no alpha male is going to stick cotton wads under his armpits for 6 weeks no matter what you offer him. He is going to be out there partying and f…ing females and having fun! So whoever the pheromones
do come from, there are no ‘players’ in these studies

In other words there may well be what we can call “super smellers”!

Males that send out strong pheromone scents that get them more dramatic results than revealed in research: perhaps the equivalent of
animal alpha-males. 

In the same way, there may be females who have greater smell sensitivity to male pheromones and males who are more receptive to  copulins, or “super sniffers”? (There were some indications that such people do exist in some of the research studies).

Despite our need to know more, there is still a rich supply of useful information that has been generated from the research. In particular,
we can now understand some of the ways that pheromones work.

When it comes to Chemistry, resaearch also tells us:

• We are subject to (subliminal) chemical influences that we may “feel” as uplifted moods, increased arousal and/or greater social boldness with guys.

• We have stronger responses to these chemicals when we are “fertile”.

• Those chemicals may urge us toward feelings and actions that are instinctive-ly but not socially relevant.

Because we are a “thinking” animal; because we have goals and make commitments; because we seek to have control over those events that
have the potential to advance or undermine our well being; we need to know how pheromones influence us.

It’s clear that pheromones and hormones – our chemistry – can dramatically impact on our mating choices. That they can significantly
impact on our ability to tell which guys make great mates.

The trick is to know when chemistry improves our mate choices and when it detracts. How to do this is covered in chapter 8 of 

How To Tell Which Guys Make Great Mates