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Cover image of The Great Pheromone Myth
Cover image of The Great Pheromone Myth
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The Great Pheromone Myth

Richard L. Doty

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Mammalian pheromones, audiomones, visuomones, and snarks—Richard Doty argues that they all belong in the same category: objects of imagination.

For more than 50 years, researchers—including many prominent scientists—have identified pheromones as the triggers for a wide range of mammalian behaviors and endocrine responses. In this provocative book, renowned olfaction expert Richard L. Doty rejects this idea and states bluntly that, in contrast to insects, mammals do not have pheromones.

Doty systematically debunks the claims and conclusions of studies that purport to reveal the existence of...

Mammalian pheromones, audiomones, visuomones, and snarks—Richard Doty argues that they all belong in the same category: objects of imagination.

For more than 50 years, researchers—including many prominent scientists—have identified pheromones as the triggers for a wide range of mammalian behaviors and endocrine responses. In this provocative book, renowned olfaction expert Richard L. Doty rejects this idea and states bluntly that, in contrast to insects, mammals do not have pheromones.

Doty systematically debunks the claims and conclusions of studies that purport to reveal the existence of mammalian pheromones. He demonstrates that there is no generally accepted scientific definition of what constitutes a mammalian pheromone and that attempts to divide stimuli and complex behaviors into pheromonal and nonpheromonal categories have primarily failed. Doty's controversial assertion belies a continued fascination with the pheromone concept, numerous claims of its chemical isolation, and what he sees as the wasted expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars by industry and government.

The Great Pheromone Myth directly challenges ideas about the role chemicals play in mammalian behavior and reproductive processes. It is a must-have reference for biologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, and readers interested in animal behavior, ecology, and evolution.

Reviews

Reviews

Doty shakes up the field by challenging the sloppy research that some pheromone claims are based on.

A very thorough review of the literature on presumed mammalian pheromones.

In this book, he brings together a wide-ranging and extensive literature to conclusively make his point. Along the way, he presents a fascinating tour of the diversity and complexity of chemical communication in mammals.

More than a survey of pheromones, this considers the entire perspective of chemical effects on behavior and is a pick for any college-level health collection.

If this book were just a critique of mammalian pheromones, it would be a valuable contribution. It, however, goes further showing us how the pheromone concept has blinded us to the complex and multimodal character of olfactory phenomena and perception.

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Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
296
ISBN
9780801893476
Illustration Description
4 halftones, 14 line drawings
Table of Contents

Preface
1. Introduction
2. What Is a Mammalian Pheromone?
3. Mammals Are Not Insects
4. Scent Marking
5. The Elusive Snarks
Case Studies of Nonhuman Mammalian: "Releasing" Pheromones
6. The Elusive Snarks
Cas

Preface
1. Introduction
2. What Is a Mammalian Pheromone?
3. Mammals Are Not Insects
4. Scent Marking
5. The Elusive Snarks
Case Studies of Nonhuman Mammalian: "Releasing" Pheromones
6. The Elusive Snarks
Case Studies of Nonhuman Mammalian: "Priming" Pheromones
7. Human Pheromones
8. Implications
Notes
References
Name Index
Subject Index

Author Bio
Richard L. Doty
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Richard L. Doty, Ph.D.

Richard L. Doty is a professor and director of the Smell and Taste Center at the University of Pennsylvania, inventor of the widely used UPSIT test for assessing smell function, and author or editor of over 350 scientific publications and books, including the Handbook of Olfaction and Gustation, Taste and Smell in Health and Disease, and, most recently, The Neurology of Olfaction, coauthored with...
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