Study: Men's Sweat Pumps Up Women's Hormone Levels

BERKELEY, Calif. - If you thought B.O. was a turnoff, think again. Just a few whiffs of a chemical found in male sweat is enough to raise levels of the stress hormone cortisol in heterosexual women, according to a new study.

The study, reported this week in The Journal of Neuroscience, provides the first direct evidence that humans, like rats, moths and butterflies, secrete a scent that affects the physiology of the opposite sex.

"This is the first time anyone has demonstrated that a change in women's hormonal levels is induced by sniffing an identified compound of male sweat," said study leader Claire Wyart, a post-doctoral fellow at UC Berkeley.

For more about this study, see below.

Resources:

UC Berkeley Study

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