Perfumes contain compounds that are sexual attractants in other mammals and which resemble the musky steroids. Examples of the cultural transmission of social responses to these natural and synthetic odours across human cultures present and past are given. Finally, possible evolutionary and cultural reasons for the suppression and adaptation of man's natural chemical communication system are presented. An analysis of the social effects of fragrances. Human responses to odour are acquired in complex settings, by associations with emotionally significant effects.
Odours thus help to carry the meaning of their sources, evoking recognition and affect.
Olfactory discrimination between people involves elicitation of attitude, whether babies' maternal identification or adults' reaction tto body odour and perfumes. These effects are determined by the odorant's place in a whole stimulus array - which may include other odorants, a specific type of social situation and the perceiver's state of mind. The results of an experiment on the social effect of an odour will therefore depend critically on the test situation, procedure and instructions. We use these principles to resolve the apparent conflicts in research findings and to point to implications for the formulation and advertising of personal fragrances. The development of olfactory preferences in infants and children is recognised as a difficult area of research.