May 13, 2005
Another correlation/causation question
Gay men attracted by same scents as women: Swedish study
Homosexual men respond in the same way as women to pheromones, or odors believed by many to regulate sexual arousal, according to a new Swedish study that lends credence to the theory that homosexuality is biologically determined.
…
Titled “Brain response to putative pheromones in homosexual men” the report reveals that gays, unlike heterosexual men, are not aroused by the female pheromone estratetraen but are instead turned on by the same odors that get straight women’s juices flowing.
Now, I don’t have a clue what makes gay people gay and straight people straight. It may or may not be biologicially determined. But what I do know that is this study doesn’t prove a damn thing, and only barely leads credence to anything.
As an example, there was a food I chose not to eat when I visited Taiwan. Affectionally called “Stinky Tofu” by us white folks, it is tofu that is allowed to partially rot, and then deep-fried. My reaction to this putrid stench is to nearly retch, and yet it makes Taiwanese people hungrier. At the same time, I love sauerkraut. I would think that the delicious odor of sauerkraut would elicit a poor response in many Taiwanese (and I have definitive proof my wife can’t stand it).
Does that mean that there is a biological basis for a Taiwanese person to enjoy Stinky Tofu, but it is my Germanic roots that make me enjoy sauerkraut?
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Who knows, but it’s a good story.
Lucy Stern