Are Pheromone Parties the Next Big Dating Trend?
Being a six-year resident of New York, I'm supposed to hold one city in contempt and roll my eyes at any news out of the other. Since this story is not about leaving an automobile in Cambridge Square, let's begin rolling our eyes at Los Angeles. Per LA Weekly, a lady named Judith Pray has either been coopted by the Axe Body Spray Corporation OR believes in a thing called "pheromones."
"Pheromones" (pronounced: fare-oh-moans; getting sexy already) are bio-chemical scents released by fauna and flora to elicit an involuntary response in cohorts, predators and prey. Traditionally, when we use the word, we mean sex pheromones, i.e. the olfactory version of singing Nine Inch Nail's "Closer" while looking you directly in the eye. Evidently, our brains pump happy, loving chemicals when the stink of a good genetic match strikes their fancy.* Related: Is His Scent Making You Swoon? Could Be The Pheromone Phenomenon!
Ms. Pray decided to put the maths and sciences to the test by asking singles-ready-to-dingle to put plain, white T-shirts on for three days and then place those undershirts in a plastic bag with their numerical designation. Attendees would then waft the BO into their noses and mark down which they found the most interesting (re: loin-stirring). Various suggestions, such as keeping strong spices and booze to a minimum and eschewing eau du whatever, were mentioned early in the process. If you've ever been caught sniffing hair, this could be the party for you.
Party-goers seemed to have a good time and it will only be known down the road if the smell test was successful for these singletons. There is, however, precedent; Ms. Pray held a similar event in New York 18 months ago, which resulted in 12 relationships and many hookups. Gah, can you believe what a bunch of copycats people from Los Angeles are?
In other news, all this pheromone business is good news for Zach Braff. They say that in the land of pheromones, he is king. Related: Attraction Pheromones May Not Exist
*Note: It should be noted that some scientists believe that hormone treatments, such as the progesterone birth control pill, affect our brain's ability to pick out the good ones by odor and that could have a hand in the uptick in divorce over the last 50 years. I'm skeptical.
Written by Tom Miller for YourTango.com.
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