Love is in the smell.When it comes to sex it appears that lesbians follow their nose. A new study published in the May 16 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, usually referred to as PNAS, is the official journal of the United States National Academy of Sciences. scanned the brains of 12 lesbians as they smelled both a male-oriented and female-oriented substance. In each subject the female substance activated a part of the hypothalamus hypothalamus (hī'pəthăl`əməs), an important supervisory center in the brain, rich in ganglia, nerve fibers, and synaptic connections. It is composed of several sections called nuclei, each of which controls a specific function. believed to be involved in sexual behavior. Previous research investigating the existence of human pheromones pheromones, any of a variety of substances, secreted by many animal species, that alter the behavior of individuals of the same species. Sex attractant pheromones, secreted by a male or female to attract the opposite sex, are widespread among insects. has shown a similar olfactory olfactory /ol·fac·to·ry/ (ol-fak´ter-e) pertaining to the sense of smell. ol·fac·to·ry adj. Of, relating to, or contributing to the sense of smell. response in straight men, while gay men have been shown to respond to male-oriented aromas, just as straight women seem to do. But the response isn't aphrodisiacal, researchers said. None of the women reported sexual arousal. |
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