Past, Present, and Future of Human Chemical Communication Research

Loos H, Schaal B, Pause BM, Smeets MA, Ferdenzi C, Roberts SC, de Groot J, Lübke KT, Croy I, Freiherr J, Bensafi M, Hummel T, Havlíček J (2023)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

Perspectives on Psychological Science SAGE Publications (UK and US) / Wiley-Blackwell: No OnlineOpen

DOI: 10.1177/17456916231188147

Abstract

Although chemical signaling is an essential mode of communication in most vertebrates, it has long been viewed as having negligible effects in humans. However, a growing body of evidence shows that the sense of smell affects human behavior in social contexts ranging from affiliation and parenting to disease avoidance and social threat. This article aims to (a) introduce research on human chemical communication in the historical context of the behavioral sciences; (b) provide a balanced overview of recent advances that describe individual differences in the emission of semiochemicals and the neural mechanisms underpinning their perception, that together demonstrate communicative function; and (c) propose directions for future research toward unraveling the molecular principles involved and understanding the variability in the generation, transmission, and reception of chemical signals in increasingly ecologically valid conditions. Achieving these goals will enable us to address some important societal challenges but are within reach only with the aid of genuinely interdisciplinary approaches.

Authors with CRIS profile

Helene Loos

Involved external institutions

Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation CSGA FR France (FR) Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf DE Germany (DE) Universiteit Utrecht (UU) / Utrecht University NL Netherlands (NL) CRNL - Center for Research in Neuroscience in Lyon FR France (FR) University of Stirling GB United Kingdom (GB) Radboud University Nijmegen NL Netherlands (NL) Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena DE Germany (DE) Fraunhofer-Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung (IVV) DE Germany (DE) Technische Universität Dresden DE Germany (DE) Univerzita Karlova v Praze / Charles University in Prague CZ Czech Republic (CZ)

How to cite

APA:

Loos, H., Schaal, B., Pause, B.M., Smeets, M.A., Ferdenzi, C., Roberts, S.C.,... Havlíček, J. (2023). Past, Present, and Future of Human Chemical Communication Research. Perspectives on Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916231188147

MLA:

Loos, Helene, et al. "Past, Present, and Future of Human Chemical Communication Research." Perspectives on Psychological Science (2023).

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