Photograph of Isolde Love Potion #10

Part III

by
Susan Holt
Coordinating Mentor
New York State Biology Mentor Network

Today at lunch with friends, Laurie had continued the argument. "Would you believe that Jean still thinks that pheromone stuff she bought really works? She thinks the pheromones are the reason that she has a date this weekend. How could she be so gullible?"

Jean had expected this and was ready with a response. "How can you ignore the scientific facts? Doctor Cutler, from the Athena Institute, did an experiment that proved 74% of the people who wore pheromone were more attractive to members of the opposite sex. It was too long and boring to read completely, but here's the abstract and data from her experiment. I don't believe you won't even trust the scientific evidence."

This study tested the effect of human male pheromone on the sociosexual behavior of men and by implication, the sexual responses of the women they encountered, as well as the men's perception of these effects. Thirty-eight heterosexual men, ages 26-42, completed a 2-week baseline period and a 6-week placebo-controlled, double-blind trial testing a pheromone "designed to improve the romance in their lives." Each subject kept daily behavioral records for 5 sociosexual behaviors: petting/affection/kissing, formal dates, informal dates, sleeping next to a romantic partner, and sexual activity and FAXed them each week. Significantly more pheromone than placebo users increased above baseline in sexual activity and sleeping with a romantic partner. There was a tendency for more pheromone than placebo users to increase above baseline in petting/affection/kissing, and informal dates but not in formal dates. A significantly larger proportion of pheromone than placebo users increased in two or three of the five sociosexual behaviors. Thus, there was a significant increase in male sociosexual behaviors in which a woman's sexual interest and cooperation plays a role. These initial data need replication but suggest that human male pheromones affected the sexual attractiveness of men to women.
Abstract from article in Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 27, No. 1, 1998, "Pheromonal Influences on Sociosexual Behavior in Men," by Winnifred Cutler, Ph.D., Erika Friedmann, Ph.D., Norma L. McCoy, Ph.D.
 
 
Table I.  Initial Age, Height, Weight, and Relationship Status
for Subjects by Treatment Group
 Pheromone
(n = 17)		Placebo
(n = 21)
Age (years)33.133.8
Height (inches)69.671.7
Weight (pounds)189.7187.0
 N%n%
Not dating but would like to be741.2942.8
Dating211.8831.8
Keeping steady company211.814.8
Married635.3314.3
 
 
Table III.  Number of Subjects with an Increase Over Baseline
for Each of Five Sociosexual Behaviors by Treatment Group
 Pheromone
(n = 17)		Placebo
(n = 21)
Sociosexual BehaviorN%n%
Sexual activity847.029.5
Sleeping next to romantic partner635.314.8
Petting/affection/kissing741.2314.3
Informal dates635.329.5
Formal dates741.2733.3
Data tables from the research article "Pheromonal Influences on Sociosexual Behavior in Men" by Winnifred Cutler, Ph.D., Erika Friedmann, Ph.D., Norma L. McCoy, Ph.D.

Questions

  1. What hypothesis was Dr. Cutler testing?
  2. What sort of people did she use as a control group?
  3. What sort of people did she use as an experimental group?
  4. How many people did she choose for each group?
  5. What factors did she keep constant in her experimental and control groups, and how did she do this?
  6. What procedure did she follow to make sure the pheromone is tested fairly?
  7. What data did she collect? How often did she collect data?
  8. How did she decide if the pheromone was effective or ineffective?
  9. Do you think that Dr. Cutler's research provides credible evidence that the pheromone Jean bought really does what the advertisement claims? Why might people answer "yes" to this question? Why might people answer "no" to this question?
  10. Do you think you would get the same results if you replicated Dr. Cutler's research? Why or why not? Why has her experiment not been replicated by other researchers?


Go to Part IV

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