Secret ingredient for elderly romance
Key points
- A mystery chemical isolated from the sweat of young women seems to act as a romance booster for their older counterparts.
- When the researchers added the compound, Pheromone 10:13, to a perfume and gave it to older women, it made their partners more affectionate.
- "In diaries kept by the women for 6 weeks, 41 percent of pheromone users reported more petting, kissing and affection with partners," New Scientist magazine said on Wednesday.
- Pheromones are airborne chemicals secreted from the body and recognized by their smell.
A mystery chemical isolated from the sweat of young women seems to act as a romance booster for their older counterparts.
When the researchers added the compound, Pheromone 10:13, to a perfume and gave it to older women, it made their partners more affectionate.
"In diaries kept by the women for 6 weeks, 41 percent of pheromone users reported more petting, kissing and affection with partners," New Scientist magazine said on Wednesday.
Pheromones are airborne chemicals secreted from the body and recognized by their smell. Humans and animals emit pheromones.
Joan Friebely of Harvard University and Susan Rako, a doctor from Newton, Massachusetts, studied the behavior of 44 post-menopausal women. Half were given a perfume with the compound while the remainder used a fragrance with a placebo or dummy chemical.
Only 14 percent of women using the perfume with the placebo reported an increase in affection from their partners.
Biologist Winnifred Cutler, the discoverer of the mystery pheromone, is keeping the identify of the compound a secret until patents have been granted to her organization, the Athena Institute for Women's Wellness Research in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, according to the magazine.
Written and revised by
Andrey Nailor, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Mental Health →
NewsDepression boosts aggression in demented elderly
Depression triples the likelihood that a nursing home resident with dementia will be physically aggressive, a new study shows. Delusions, hallucinations and constipation also appeared to be risk factors for physical…
30 June 2006
NewsDepression not tied to diabetes control in elderly
There is no strong relationship between depression in elderly patients with diabetes and the degree to which they control their blood sugar levels, researchers report. "We often assume that elderly diabetes patients who…
20 April 2006
NewsDepression is an often undiagnosed source of suffering for elderly
Elderly patients with lesser versions of depression, a group many times larger than those with major depression, are more than five times as likely as healthy patients to descend into major depression within one year,…
