Pheromones are one of the latest crazes. We’ve all heard of plenty of miracle products that claim to help us become more attractive to the opposite sex or more capable of getting what we want in other aspects of our life, like work and business. It is often difficult to separate products that can genuinely help you from the hyped up trash which is nothing but a waste of money. This article will clear up some of the misinformation surrounding pheromones, explaining exactly what they are, how they work and what they can and can’t do for you.

What Are Pheromones?

The short answer is: they’re simply chemical compounds. When we hear the word “chemical” these days, many of us attach negative thoughts to it – most of the time we associate “chemical” with “unnatural” or “dangerous.” But pheromones occur naturally in certain animals, plants and insects – they have a built-in role to play in the way living creatures interact with each other. They are essentially non-verbal communication signals between members of the same species.

How Do Pheromones Work?

The process involved in how pheromones work is fairly simple, although the results can appear relatively complicated. Pheromones are secreted by one individual, the scent is picked up by another individual, and the receiver’s brain automatically processes the message.

Let’s take bees as an example, since these insets have been the subject of many studies on pheromones and they are known to use pheromones for several different purposes. One of the types of pheromones used by bees are alarm pheromones. When a bee is under attack from the threatening source, it can secrete alarm pheromones which will alert other nearby bees to the danger. This is why casually swatting a lone bee can end up leading to an “angry swarm” – the alarm pheromones trigger aggressive behavior in other nearby bees.

That’s one type of pheromone. The type which is of most interest to humans – and the one most often promoted for sale – is sex pheromones. The way these work is, once again, straightforward.

Different pheromones are emitted by the male and female of a species. In the female, pheromones are used to indicate to nearby males that the female is fertile and ready to mate. Males use pheromones to transmit certain genetic information about themselves, in the hope that females will pick this up and select them as a good potential mate.

Is There Any Proof?

There have been extensive studies done into the effects of pheromones. Most of these tests are done using twins in a speed dating environment.

The test typically goes like this: Identical twins are sent into a speed dating session, each wearing a different cologne. One of the twins gets a cologne including pheromones, the other doesn’t. At the end of the speed dating session, the results are compared to see which twin influenced and attracted more members of the opposite sex.

These tests have consistently shown that when all physical attractiveness factors are equal, but one twin is wearing pheromones and the other isn’t, the twin with the pheromones gets more positive attention and more “Yes” answers from daters.

There are other pheromones for sale besides those for sex. Some pheromones claim to enhance your confidence, which can be helpful both for dating and in your work life, particularly if you work in a sales role where you first impression is extremely important. There have been fewer studies done on these types of pheromones, but it may well be that they at least provide a “placebo effect” – because the people wearing them believe they work, they automatically gain more confidence.

What Pheromones Can’t Do

Research indicates that while the use of pheromones can enhance your attractiveness to the opposite sex, it’s not a miracle substance. In other words, you can’t simply wear the same ripped clothes for three days without showering, spray on some pheromones, and go out and pick up a supermodel – it doesn’t work that way.

But pheromones can enhance what you currently have to work with and help give you the “edge” on the dating scene. Bear in mind that your body is naturally secreting your own pheromones, but they may be sending the wrong messages about your genetics. Buying the right pheromone spray can help ensure you send the right messages.