Human Chemosensory Communication

Abstract

Social communication refers to a basic human need, and findings accumulate that show humans communicate numerous kinds of social information via chemosignals. Briefly, it will be introduced which chemicals are conveyed through body fluids and which sensory systems are considered to process social chemosignals. Then, it will be shown that pheromones in humans have not yet been discovered. Studies on putative pheromones in humans often are performed disregarding the biological underpinnings of chemical communication and seem randomly to investigate volatile substances without any theoretical background. However, evidence will be provided that human chemosensory communication has been well demonstrated, using natural body fluids (e. g., sweat) as the source of chemosignals. Humans can decode information about the immunogenetic profile and the level of sexual hormones from volatiles released from the sweat of other individuals. These chemical signals are considered to affect mate choice. However, the signal extraction also depends on the sexual orientation of the perceiver. Furthermore, the recognition of kin and mother-infant communication comprise the release and decoding of chemosignals. Both phenomena are important prerequisites for the formation of social bonding and harm protection. Finally, the communication of stress and anxiety in humans will be presented as an example of a chemical transmission of emotional states. At the end of the chapter it will be questioned whether chemosensory communication is a skill, protective for certain mental disorders.