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Pheromone, Körpergeruch und Partnerwahl

Pheromones, body odor, and mate choice

  • Frauengesundheit in der Praxis
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Der Gynäkologe Aims and scope

Zusammenfassung

Im Tierreich ist olfaktorische Kommunikation, besonders bei der Partnerwahl, weit verbreitet und mittlerweile gut studiert. Mit der wachsenden Anzahl an Studien über die biologischen Rahmenbedingungen/Mechanismen der Partnerwahl und der Entdeckung des Vomeronasalorgan (VNO) beim Menschen hat das wissenschaftliche Interesse an der Bedeutung des Körpergeruchs als mögliches Signalsystem in diesem Kontext deutlich zugenommen. Die Annahme, dass Menschen und andere Primaten vorwiegend visuell gesteuerte Lebewesen sind, die auch im Zuge der Partnerwahl hauptsächlich auf optische Reize angewiesen sind, musste in den letzten Jahren revidiert werden. Jüngste Studien zeigen, dass Pheromone (Geruchsbotenstoffe) eine wichtige Rolle in der Verhaltens- und Fortpflanzungsbiologie des Menschen spielen können, deuten aber auch darauf hin, dass manche Annahmen einer Modifikation bedürfen. Dieser Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die aktuellen Hypothesen und sog. Beweise für die Wirkung von menschlichen Pheromonen und diskutiert deren Bedeutung für das menschliche Sexualverhalten.

Abstract

In animals, olfactory communication, particularly for mate choice, is widespread and well studied. With the increasing number of studies on the biological constraints and mechanisms of mate choice and the discovery of the human vomeronasal organ (VNO), scientific interest in the importance of body odor as a possible signaling system for human mate choice has also increased. Humans and other primates were considered to be mainly visually guided, but the assumption that humans, in particular use mainly optical signals for mate choice has had to be revised. Recent studies show that pheromones (olfactory messengers) can play an important role in the behavior and reproductive biology of humans, although some earlier assumptions require modification. This article provides an overview of the current hypotheses and ‘evidence’ for the effects of human pheromones, and discusses their importance for human sexual behavior.

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Danksagung

Unser Dank gilt Lutz Walter vom Deutschen Primatenzentrum für die konstruktive Diskussion im Zuge der Anfertigung dieses Beitrags.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Abteilung Soziobiologie/Anthropologie, Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, Universität Göttingen, Berliner Strasse 28, 37073, Göttingen, Deutschland

    B. Fink

  2. Forschergruppe Primatengenetik, Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Göttingen, Deutschland

    O. Sövegjarto

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  1. B. Fink
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  2. O. Sövegjarto
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Correspondence to B. Fink.

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Fink, B., Sövegjarto, O. Pheromone, Körpergeruch und Partnerwahl. Gynäkologe 39, 731–740 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00129-006-1865-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00129-006-1865-7

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