Pheromones And Attraction (Effects On The Brain, Emotions, & “Triggers”)

Pheromones and attraction are about 99% of the reason men and women go out there looking for pheromone products in the first place…

… but how much “influence” do they really give you in the game of seduction?

If you’ve ever landed on a seedy looking page promising you “instant attraction”, and being able to get laid with no effort…

… they’ll tell you it’s ALL about the pheromones.

Of course, we already know these snake-oil salesmen are just making up overly-hyped claims to make money.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly the type of lying and hype that makes people think these products are a load of rubbish, and write them off entirely.

But still, wouldn’t it be interesting to know how much pheromones and attraction really have to do with eachother?

Personally, I’m of the belief that they do have a pretty significant impact on attraction.

However, its important to understand that there are a few different elements at play in this complicated puzzle.

Here is the rundown on how pheromones and attraction work:

• What is the VNO (VomeroNasal Organ) or “Jacobsons Organ”?
• How attraction is triggered… pheromones, personality, looks, status, money?
• How pheromones actually affect the brain and responses from women
• How pheromones can change other peoples “perception” of you
• Primal & Emotional pheromone “types”
• The merging of your “natural” pheromone signature
• The TRUE total effects of pheromones on attraction

What is the VNO (VomeroNasal Organ) or “Jacobsons Organ”?

The VNO is a part of the brain (separate from the olfactory system), which has nerves and other connecting structures in the brain.

The olfactory system which we are familiar with, processes ordinary airborne smells, whereas the VNO can pick up “chemical signals” (like pheromones from the same species) and passes them along to the brain for processing.

This is what causes the changes in sexual and social behavior (affecting limbic region, “seat of emotions”). It is this organ that processes these chemo-signals, and can change the way people interact with each other which is why pheromones and attraction are often linked.

There are also skeptics out there who claim that the vomeronasal organ (VNO) (or Jacobson’s organ), are ancient parts of human anatomy, and perhaps inactive remnants of the past… and no longer functioning parts of our “attraction” switches.

However, as conflicting as the “evidence” is, there are thousands of people who have found pheromones to have dramatic, positive effects on their social, dating, and professional lives.

For example, this study shows a possible link between human scents and emotion – via olfactory communication.

This argument will probably rage on among scientists for years, so for that reason we will be talking about their actual, observable effects.

However, if you want to know more about technical aspects and how the VNO works, you can read about the science of how pheromones work here.

Okay, let’s talk about “attraction triggers”, and where pheromones come into the equation…

Many guys turn to them because they believe pheromones will help them attract more women… and they WILL work for that purpose.

The problem begins when guys place way too much faith in them, and think that a formula is ineffective because THEY failed to make use of them.

They either failed to open women, escalate, flirt, or move things in a sexual direction.

You won’t believe how many guys email me asking for the “best pheromones” to make women desire them uncontrollably…

… without even realizing that these are tools – and meant to be driven.

They aren’t meant to drive the wearer.

But I digress – pheromones and attraction go hand in hand, but they are NOT the be all, end all.

In fact, many factors go into pheromones & attraction:

• Physical appearance. No, it doesn’t mean you have to be a supermodel or have a spartan like body. Nor does it mean you have to have exactly the features all women want on their laundry list (like being atleast 6ft, being a certain color, race, or other traits)… however, making yourself attractive by keeping your body hair under control, facial hair, body odor, dressing cleanly, and having some style goes a long way. The right swagger and style for you can add a huge difference to your attractiveness. Some things may overlap with the bulletpoints below, but I wrote about how to go about making yourself more attractive to women (without pheromones) earlier. Check it out if you haven’t already.

• Genetic compatibility. Research into this area is one of the kick-starters for this entire industry… from analyzing how animals use pheromones for everything from warding off predators, leaving food trails, indicating death, and of course choosing their most suitable “mates”. It was only natural that human pheromones and attraction were also on the list of things to investigate (it is still a relatively new area of study, so scientific research is still lagging behind anecdotal evidence from seeing their actual effects in social interactions). However, genetic compatibility is clearly one of the core reasons humans still have a need for picking up on pheromones and attraction to choose the most suitable partners – I have read that this is often the case with why siblings are not attracted to eachother.

• Personality and personal traits, chemistry, confidence etc. Think about it: If there were twins, and one just watched TV and played video games all day, would that be attractive to women? What if his twin was someone who took care of himself in the gym, had life goals and aspirations, and the confidence to achieve them? The latter would win, of course… there are many personality traits that are very attractive to women, even more so than being physically their “ideal”, which can significantly turn the odds in your favor. I talk more about how to develop attractive personality traits in my “secrets of personal magnetism” report. There are also things like sociability, charisma, humor, and other things which are on the forefront of this attraction “trigger”.

• Social status and the “pecking order”. If a woman had a chance to be with a movie star, even if he was far below average looking, do you think she would date him? There is no question that women are strongly attracted to men with high social status, because it is a primal instinct built into humans. Our ancestors had a hierarchy that determined their status in groups, from alpha to beta to maybe even lower statuses… the “alpha” in those situations offered bragging rights, security, stay fed and sheltered, the freedom to do as they pleased. This is also a key element in “romantic attraction”… when she feels you may be of “higher value” than her, she will feel as if you might be a worthy challenge. (note: you can read more about sparking “romantic interest” and other attractive behaviors in this article).
  
• Wealth (socioeconomic status/power & influence). Much like social status, being wealthy is very attractive to women because it signals that you are successful, have high social status and “power”, and are able to provide for them. In our ancestral history, its possible that “wealth” was more like having access to food and water, being sheltered, and being considered of higher value than other “mates” that were available to women. Younger women also like to date men with potential, even if you aren’t “successful” yet. It’s all about how you communicate with women.

All this contributes to how attracted we are to someone.

Now I know this is sounding a bit off course,but bear with me.

What I am getting at here is that you don’t need to meet all these requirements (or none of us would even bother to approach women, which would be stupid).

Obviously, a woman who is looking to get laid may simply choose things that are outwardly attractive.

Men who are popular, good looking, who they seem to “gel” with exceptionally well.

The point is, pheromones are a part of the attraction puzzle.

They can however have a noticeable impact due to their ability to indicate genetic compatibility between (potential) partners.

How pheromones affect the brain

Take this for example:

“Previous studies in animals and humans show that genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) influence individual odours and that females often prefer odour of MHC-dissimilar males, perhaps to increase offspring heterozygosity or reduce inbreeding.”

In plain English, this means that we are often sexually attracted to the smell of men or women who are more genetically compatiable with us.

This is because siblings, or closely related family members will have a largely similar major histocompatibility index (which in turn, means they have a similar smell to you).

In order to produce the strongest offspring, we are inclined to choose potential partners who have a dissimilar MHC – and this can be indicated via body odor.

But here’s where things get interesting:

They can tip the scales of attraction MASSIVELY in your favor (because it also changes their perception of you).

While physical looks, and your genetic profile (among other things) are an important factor in whether a woman will be attracted to you, you should also keep in mind that how you come across to people can significantly change that.

In other words, how you are being perceived by others.

I’ve met many women who have won me over, because they were just so engaging, and became more attracted to them over time.

I’ve also got with women who were simply NOT interested, and still managed to either hook up, or get some type of relationship out of it (FWB, getting out of friendzone etc).

I’ve also got friends that would otherwise be considered extremely unattractive bag some very sexy women at nightclubs. (I know a guy with orange, afro hair, and far below average looks to boot — looks like a real life clown)…

And its because of his confidence, charisma, and high social value that attracts women (my pheromone recommendations might have something to do with it, but I’ll talk about that in a moment).

This is a classic example of someone changing the initial perception people have of him, and changing it to a much more favorable outcome.

How pheromones can change “perception” of the wearer

The point is, if he wasn’t confident, didn’t have social skills, and thought he was a loser all his life, then pheromones wouldn’t do jack for him.

… the pheromones simply MAGNIFIED his positive personality traits, while also MINIMIZING his negatives.

It might get him a few looks here and there, but he would still likely be perceived as someone who is sketchy, possibly untrustworthy, and unattractive.

By the way, I feel terrible talking about him like this, but it’s all for the sake of science… and he doesn’t know this site exists.

The point is, you can spray on all the pheromones you like.

But if deep down, you truly don’t FEEL like you’re an attractive person (and unworthy of the beautiful women you want), then pheromones aren’t going to magically change all that around.

Your “true being” is how you feel inside.

You’ve heard the saying, “misery loves company”.

How you feel inside directly translates to how you think, act, and behave around others. Your internal state may also change the way your body odor smells too.

In this experiment, test subjects were exposed to different films.

One was neutral, and the other was fear/anxiety inducing… the results showed that more often than not, raters were able to tell the difference between those who experienced fear or not.

“This finding can be interpreted as a strong hint that humans could use olfactory signals to inform their environment about their internal state, in our case, fear.”

By elaborating on this study, we may also find that other things – such as your social/emotional availability, aggression, fear, confidence levels may also influence hormones, which could potentially change your body odor in subtle ways.

It hasn’t been proven yet, but it is a very likely scenario based on the study above.

… and of course, this is where natural human pheromones, play a HUGE role in sparking that initial pheromone attraction.

How “natural” pheromones, and synthetic pheromone products merge.

Because they also change the way you interact with people.

Basically, over years of testing, it boils down to a few different things (except for the NON-pheromone attraction triggers above).

They are:

• Self effects from pheromones (conscious and subconscious)… basically, I think it really depends on the products you use here that can make a big difference. For example, products like Aqua Vitae, Alfa Maschio, and Bad Wolf give me a HUGE confidence boost, and somehow make me carry myself in a more attractive way, speak to people more charismatically and more… all of which contributes to your overall level of attractiveness.

• The target of your pheromones. This is where things get tricky… we’re talking about women here after all. Not all of them will respond the same way to pheromones – you may have positive experiences with one, and a completely negative experience with another (and with the same pheromone products). For example, some women may be extremely attracted to a high androstenone pheromone signature, whereas another woman might find it highly threatening and offensive.

As you probably know by know, I categorize pheromone products into 4 main categories (romantic, sexual, alpha and social).

However, if we break it down even further, most individual molecules lean towards a particular “type” (they can have effects that are both primal AND emotional, but are dominant in only one).

2 Main Types of Pheromones

Primal

“Primal” types of pheromones are primarily those which seem to trigger instant reactions from people. For example, primal pheromones are those that are most directly related to the physical aspect of attraction.

Primal type pheromones tend to be the ones that can signal information about about your sexual power (androstenone), how high you might be in the “pecking order”/social status (androsterone), ability to provide, indicate health, whether you are “safe” to be around, etc.

• Androstenone. It triggers a certain animalistic feel that makes women see you as a sexual threat. It can also be perceived as intimidating or standoffish. Even though it is attractive on that primal level, women aren’t necessarily just going to bang anyone that gives off high amounts of this pheromones.

• Androsterone. This can give the impression that you are a wise person, someone to be respected, hardworking etc… older men tend to produce this in larger quantities, and is perceived as “safe” and trustworthy. This may give women the impression that you are a suitable mate for a long term relationship, and it is suspected to be a core component in most “fallout” (or romantic attraction) type products.

• Dehydro-epiandrosterone (DHEA). This molecule gives the wearer an aura of being young, fertile, and healthy. It may also reduce the emotional impact of some pheromones that I’ve listed below.

Emotional

Emotional types of pheromones seem to be those that work on a less “primal” level, but seem to deepen relationships, “chemistry” between people, and create emotional attachment. These are the most like pheromones that can induce “romantic” feelings (love pheromones).

By now you understand that even if a woman is attracted to you physically, you will not be able to seduce her without a sexual or romantic connection. Emotional pheromones tend to bridge that gap between purely animalistic attraction, and being purely attached/loving someone.

• Androstadienone. This is one of the most well known pheromone molecules out there, and it has been studied on a scientific level as well as by huge number of pheromone enthusiasts. It is known for making women feel emotional attachment to the wearer, create a “longing” for them, making them feel safe and comforted, and more. In numerous studies, women also found that men were rated 10% more attractive after being exposed.

• Androstenetrione. This molecule is not as well known as androstadienone, but seems to be a beautifier, as well as makes things seem more emotional than they actually are. It is also strongly suspected to be a core element in the Nude/Nude Alpha products that give them their unique effects (which makes women clingy very quickly).

• Epi-androsterone. This is the beta version of androsterone, and seems to promote familiarity with the wearer, and creates the vibe that you are sociable and easy to get along with. This seems to be a key element in producing romantic/sexual chemistry… in other words, the “non-physical” type attraction that also must occur before anyone has sex with anybody.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, it is just an example of how pheromones could be classified into different categories. Both of them are VITAL to creating powerful, well balanced mixes that can spark attraction on either a romantic or sexual level.

Most pheromone attraction formulas are heavily weighted towards either side of the spectrum.

However, it’s still important to have a balance (or bridge) between each type.

For example, if you were to use pure androstadienone, this may cause severe attachment from women.

However, it may also significantly reduce your “sexual” attraction… women may want to cuddle and hug instead of being turned on and wanting to have sex.

If you were to use say, pure androstenone, women may find you extremely creepy, sleezy, or predatory.

In a combination of the 2 molecules, they would work to create a sexual or romantic attraction formula depending on how “weighted” they are to either side of the spectrum.

The synergy between these components can make you seem SIGNIFICANTLY more noticeable and attractive.

All these molecules contribute SOMETHING to the attraction puzzle.

And some of them are very powerful – for example, androstadienone has been known for making women rate men almost a WHOPPING 10% more attractive after they’ve been exposed (scientifically controlled social study, follow link for more info).

But that’s just 1 molecule… what would happen if we had a mix of 5,6,7 +?

This is not to say that more is better, because it’s not.

These formulas sort of “merge” with our own NATURAL pheromone signatures, and create something that is unique, and truly stands out from the crowd…

Not just with “instant” attraction from aggressive molecules like androstenone, but also on an emotional level, like those experienced with androstadienone… and to some extent, androstenetrione (there are a lot more, but for the sake of not having to type over and over again, please read the pheromone summary).

So how much do pheromones and attraction REALLY have to do with eachother?

This question rears its head every so often, and many people think from 5% to 10% of the overall attraction “pie”.

But all things considered, I really think it goes a bit beyond that.

Just to recap, here are the reasons why:

• Pheromones can have very strong “self effects”. Self Effects make you carry yourself in a much more attractive way. From improving your confidence, social ability, body language and more.

• Most formulas hit from both an attention grabbing way, as well as emotional. For example, molecules like androstenone are noticeable immediately… whereas molecules like androstadienone can make the wearer more and more attractive the longer someone is exposed.

• They can project many high quality “signals” to potential romantic or sexual partners… for example, pheromones can spark social chemistry, make the wearer appear physically more attractive, appear to be healthier and more fertile, more trustworthy, raise your social status and more.

All these may be more or less attractive to different types of women, depending on their age, upbringing, preferences etc.

The “total effect” of pheromones impact on attraction.

So in my opinion, I think the right pheromones, at most may be able to contribute over 20% (even though it’s silly to put a number on it, because this topic is very complicated).

Another possible reason could be that we wash a lot of our natural pheromones off with all sorts of scrubs, lotions, and shower daily (atleast I hope you do), and synthetic pheromones can help make up for that by giving you an extra boost without smelling nasty all day.

Before I close off this article, let me also state one more thing:

Do NOT place all your faith into pheromones and attraction – the products can only do so much of the work.

You should still actively work on improving yourself.

I know several people who are always asking questions about pheromones, whether its a combo, a new review, advice on this or that.

Those people continue to fail, despite having many powerful pheromones and attraction formulas at their disposal.

Why? Because they put all their faith into products, instead of themselves…

These are people that have yet to develop a naturally attractive personality, but continue buying every new products out there, to “cover up” their lack of personality traits they need to succeed.

These can be (but not limited to):

• Lack of confidence and self esteem (and general lack of game with women)
• Not believing they’re “attractive” enough for the women they really want
• They have trouble being “social” and having natural, fun conversations with women (or in general)
• They have a deep rooted inferiority issues
• Not doing anything to “improve” their social skills, game, etc (read about how to use pheromones to speed up your self improvement dramatically).

Luckily, most of my readers aren’t like this and aware that pheromones are powerful, but not magic.

Unfortunately, scam artists like to promise unrealistic scenarios, which misleads guys into thinking they’re a “cure all” for their attraction problems (or whatever other personal shortcomings they may have).

That covers most of my thoughts over the past few years about how pheromones and attraction works.

If you look around the internet for articles about this particular topic, you’ll probably find either:

• Sleezy vendors promising you their products can get you laid (with no effort, and even if you’re short, fat, ugly and broke)…
• Scientific research which usually only covers technical information on how the Vomeronasal Organ (VNO) works, or possibly doesn’t exist.
• Studies on known pheromones like androstadienone and androstenone.

However, very few people have written about how all these different types of pheromones work on a mostly observable level, through experience and social experimentation.

There are varying opinions on how much pheromones really influence attraction.

I personally think its a bit more complicated than what’s stated here, but this is likely for explaining to more of a “general” audience (not enthusiasts).

Thank you for reading,

• Phero Joe