Scent of fear impacts cognitive performance

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...-sof033106.php

"It is

well-documented in the research literature that animals experiencing stress and fear produce chemical warning

signals that can lead to behavioral, endocrinological and immunological changes in their fellow animals of the same

species, but we wanted to see if this applies to humans as well," said principal investigator Denise Chen, assistant

professor of psychology at Rice.
----------------------------

So far, in every human study I've seen, the

findings from other animals predictably extend to humans.

JVK

This study might be true and

results accurate, as fear is a survival instinct in both humans and animals. And im sure there are alot of chemical

chain reactions taking place when that emotion arises. But I know one thing for sure, when you fear in a social

setting, other people can sense it. I dont know whether it is in subtle body language or scent but it can be sensed,

especially by women, they have an intuition that we men often lack. But I believe it can be sensed in body language

above all else. Think back to the Bill Clinton fiasco and his famous speech. We didnt need to be in the same room to

know that he was in a state of fear.

Also, I have had some basic knowledge on this, gained through my

military training, and it takes about 8-10 seconds when fear sets in to lose control of your senses and judgement.

Although fear is good thing initially, the amount of adreneline produced after the first 10 sec means that your are

not so cognitive aware.

Soldiers in battle often do not feel pain even after being shot or wounded, because

of fear and because adreneline acts as a pain killer.

I've often observed a single

nervous and frightened student "infect" an entire music ensemble in a matter of minutes. One minute everyone is fine

and, after the frightened individual settles in his seat, the entire group quickly turns pale and begins to choke.

The fear is to thick you can cut it with a knife. I feel the effects--a twisting of the gut, tightening of the

throat & increased heartbeat--and have little or no fear of the performance. I've long suspected this behavior to

be chemical based as many of the performers can only see the back sides of their enemble members.

Although I

can feel the "fear" from my student performers, I also can easily push it aside and ignore it. I've found my

relaxed attitude helpful at countering student performer stage fright.

I bet similar chemical messagers can

be linked to mob violence.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gegogi

I bet similar

chemical messagers can be linked to mob violence.

---

Mob violence and mass panic both. Fear scent seems almost

universal in animals and when one scents it they react to it with their own fear. Others react to it with

aggression, mainly the predatory animals or at least the ones I've had experience around.

one year ago , i remembered a

strange episod with the cat of my friend..I was in the garden with him and i dont know why but at this moment, the

cat turned around me i felt a "very big fear" in my body and suddenly he attacked me..pheromone sure!!

remy, pheromones do have that

effect on animals. At the home page of the forum list, you will see a category "do not delete"

"I got chased

by a dog while wearing pheromones" well that is mine and what I wrote years ago. hehehe

They can have that

effect on animals in my experience, I dont know if that was anger induced by fear or fear induced by anger. Whatever

the case, I wouldnt want to be wearing pheromones on a Safari walking along the plains of Africa!!!!

Currently, I think that the most

plausible explanation for a human "fear" scent is cortisol suppression of dehydroepiandrosterone production. This

suppression would probably disturb the androsterone/etiocholanolone ratio and ultimately cause a natural body odor

that was less masculine (e.g., produced by a male who was not in control of his environment; a non-alpha male.) Most

people would not consciously detect the difference in natural body odor, but it is likely to influence them

regardless of conscious detection.

JVK

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?cha...1D83414B7F0000

"Our

findings indicating that elevated glucocorticoid levels in the context of a fearful situation turn down fear

symptoms in phobic subjects suggests that cortisol release may represent an adaptive response."

If the

response is adaptive, then repeated "fear" conditions would result in an attenuated cortisol response, which would

be likely to also be manifest in less metabolized DHEA "fear scent." Perhaps what doesn't kill us, provides us with

increased pheromonal appeal via increased androsterone/etiocholanolone ratios.



JVK

as always jvkohl youre pretty spot

on -= reading these various articles combined with my existing knowledge i think the theory is in place regarding

fear scents and affects on others

As complex as us humans are, this

is still just a part of the whole picture as both body language and even importantly our brainwave signals!

It is

scientifically proven that brainwaves can be measured as electrical signals, and that ones mood does very well

influence the mood of people nearby. For an example if you interact with an overtly happy and positive person this

will affect your brain to operate in a similar frequency.

Furthermore, the negative energies tend to last even

longer with the exposed subject. Imagine spending one hour with a person who's in a really bad mood, chances are

that the rest of your day is affected in that mood.

So I would probably assume that fear is a projectable state

of mind as well in addition to what has been discussed here.

:thumbsup:

That which doesn't kill us

makes us stronger? I've never much believed in that, despite the fact that we develop natural immunities by

contracting diseases and fighting them off. The body is worn down.

But I like the idea that one builds up a

stronger pheromonal signature by surviving frightening events on a frequent basis. That may explain why confidence

comes so naturally through repetition. It's not just that we learn how to do something well, it's also that we

experience less of a "fear rush" each time.