The Smell of Tears and Its Effect on Testosterone Levels: A Fascinating Study

by time news

2024-01-31 14:48:00

  • Which Task have tears?
  • Research using computer games
  • Study shows: The smell of tears reduces testosterone levels

In our tear ducts become continuously new tears produced. Tears fulfill various functions for our eyes. Plus they press emotions like joy, sadness or disappointment. But tears can do even more: as a study shows, they can Smell human tears cause the Testosterone levels in men sinks. Consequently can aggressions be dampened. But how does that work?

The Many Functions of Tears: A Study

Tears are made up of a mixture Water, table salt, proteins and enzymes together. The lacrimal system is responsible for ensuring that our eyes are constantly sufficiently closed moisten and to protect. When we move our eyelids, the tear fluid is distributed over the surface of the eye. But not only moistening is an important task of tears: they also provide protection Viruses and bacteria off and rinse foreign body out of the eye. Likewise, tears can express our emotions, from joy to sadness.

How spectrum explains, we know about rodents, that they secrete volatile substances in their tears. These substances cause the aggression of their male counterparts to be weakened. But do human tears have the same effect? A team has dealt with this question olfactory researchers a Prof. Noam Sobel coming Weizmann Institute of Science busy. They published their study in “PLOS Biology“.

In men the connection is between Testosterone and aggression more clearly visible. For this reason, the researchers initially only conducted experiments with male participants. The 31 test subjects played Computer game, which was designed to happen at certain times aggressions to create. If the opponent “cheated,” the men had the opportunity to escape revenge.

Decreasing male aggressiveness through female tears: The results

The researchers previously had emotional tears collected from six women aged 22 to 25 who were watching a sad film. The tears were put into tubes. While the test subjects played the computer game, they always wore one Smell test under the nose. In one random In order, they wore the tear fluid under their nose on one day and a saline solution on other days.

From the smell, the men could no difference determine between the odor samples. They also didn’t know what was in the tubes. The result: the men took revenge less common, if they had a sample of emotional female tears under their nose. In addition, the aggressive behavior increased 43.7 percent ab.

Another 33 test subjects were then given the same computer game MRT-Scanner to play. Situations repeatedly arose in which the subjects took revenge. The researchers were able to identify two areas of the brain that became more active during this time: the prefrontal cortex and the anterior island. Both are closely related to aggression. As soon as the test subjects smelled the odor sample with the tears, the brain areas became healthy again less active. The study authors concluded that the tears Activate olfactory receptors as well as Changing circuits in the brain, which are related to aggressive behavior. It continued to sink Testosterone levels in men, causing their sexual arousal to decrease.

Conclusion: tears as protection

The study found that the smell of female tears affects men Activity of those brain areas changes that are closely linked to aggression. It was further proven that the Testosterone levels the men sank when they smelled the female tears. Female tears can therefore serve as protection against male aggression.

However, many questions still remain open. For example, which chemical substances in the tears cause the reaction. It also remains unclear how, for example, women react to male tears or how men react to male tears. It remains to be seen what the results will be expanded become.

Are you interested in everything about science and research? Then dive into other articles and topic areas:

#female #tears #soothe #men

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