Seducing Women Blog

According to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, just a few whiffs of a chemical found in male sweat can raise levels of the stress hormone cortisol in women. Scientists found that the chemical androstadienone - a compound found in male sweat and an additive in perfumes and colognes - changed mood, sexual and physiological arousal and brain activation in women.

Androstadienone does cause hormonal as well as physiological and psychological changes in women. However, more cognitive studies need to be done to understand how androstadienone affects female cognitive functions.

Sweat has been the main focus of research on human pheromones, and male underarm sweat has been shown to improve women’s moods and affect their secretion of luteinizing hormone, which is normally involved in stimulating ovulation.

Compared to their response when sniffing a control odor, the women who sniffed androstadienone reported an improved mood and significantly higher sexual arousal, and their physiological response, including blood pressure, heart rate and breathing, also increased.