I was a believer in pheromones before I found forums dedicated to pheromones. I believed pheromones made a huge difference in our interactions with others. So forums with written experiences that matched my belief of how much of a difference pheromones made was very validating. Those written experiences were proof I was right, I was right.

What led me into being a believer was a NYTimes article on the MotherDirt creator. How he didn’t smell despite how unorthodox and abnormal his hygiene method was. To be frank people considered it disgusting and gross. Toward the end of the article the word pheromones was mentioned and how, along with the good bacterias on our skin, it got washed away with soap.

I was always self conscious about how I smelled, and being a muscular kid who was always doing some sort of physical activity and giving it his all, I was self conscious for good reason. I mean I got comments about it. Here I am doing so much to combat my smell while this guy in the article just doesn’t use soap and he’s good? Sprays good bacteria on himself and he’s good? Not wash away his pheromones and he’s good?

I was a total fuck you to that guy, but I tried it. Shit was based on science. Science, that if worth a damn, would also work for me.

And it did. And I contributed that to pheromones.

Yesterday during sharing with someone known to commit world flipping madness, they pointed out the results of my experience wasn’t thanks to pheromones but the change in how I viewed myself. I did something that should have sent people in those NYC subway carts running, but they never did. Instead I’ve had people go out of their way to sit next to me in a subway car of many empty seats.

They pulled up pheromone research and self image research had me read them and asked me which did my experiences reflect?

When the world no longer provided me with proof that I stink, I was forced to reevaluate how I saw myself. Closed off body language, tense body due to squeezing armpits shut to prevent any leaks in smell, anti social behavior—disappeared because of changes to pheromone signature or changes in self image? Again I was asked to look at the research to answer the question.

So, turned out I was attributing to pheromones things no research has found pheromones to be able to do. Pheromones really does contribute only a small percentage of change in behavior.

And if that’s case, and with self image research fresh in my mind, I’m starting to think a person’s ability to notice a small or subtle change in their or others behaviors (and they really are small and subtle) may be due to how they view themselves.

The mind is funny like that; example:
my arms look skinny to me, to every other MF in the world they are huge. Despite how much I work out my arms I never notice a change, others do. I measure my arms and yes the measurements increases, but it still looks as skinny as ever, no change. That’s our beautiful brain at work, that’s self image. For some people pheromones wont make a difference in how they view themselves, like how all the arm exercises in the world may never change how skinny my arms seem to me. And as how I act out my self image, pheromone users act out theirs.

The opposite is true.

Pheromones can be a catalyst for changes in self image that leads to drastic changes, and I believe now the craziest experiences written on many forums, and this one, are that. I also believe that’s the reason for huge differences in what a pheromone product does for one person to another—how blind testing says for example the pheromone blend is social that turns women on due to feeling it safe to be so and relaxed to do so but non blind testing it’s an alpha aggressive one hit wonder of Axe spray proportions that will stop working in a couple of minutes for the person that’s been “hit” by it.

If I posted this in the wrong section, sorry

I see your point, but, to me at least, your conclusions are askew.

Your friend pulled what is known as the Masked Man Fallacy (in reverse) on you, while denying the antecedent and affirming the disjunct. Overall, this was well done on his (or her) part. Just because one can achieve a better place in life by increasing their own self-image naturally through hard work and dedication to bettering themselves does not mean that one cannot artificially also achieve this by applying pheromones. One can lose weight through diet and exercise or by Liposuction; just because the end-results are very similar does not mean that one is ineffectual and the other is the answer.

Furthermore, the world-flipping-madness stance of pheromones ==> self-image=== improvement not only comes from a case of the Ludic fallacy, coupled with the fallacy of a single cause, but also totally disregards people with high self-esteem and confidence that benefit from their use, a well as myriad scientific studies that have concluded that pheromones are, indeed, effective..

In other words, your buddy spun a great yarn with a bunch of babble and some random article to prop up the lofty stance, but it breaks down when all the factors are considered.

Yes, the use of pheromones can and does lead to an increased self-esteem and a higher quality self-image. Yes, self-improvement also does this. both of them have the same end results. The two of them together, however, coupled with striving to always be one's best self, will lead you into greater and greater heights.

But you are correct one the point that they only contribute a small percentage. I've always stated is as "it is YOU plus the pheromones". Let's assume that pheromones (to be generous) boost one an average of 10% off of their normal self. If one assumes that 100% is the absolute best that anyone can be, then person 'A' might normally be around 50% or so of the highest of potentials. Person 'B' might be operating nominally at 80%. If they both get a 10% boost up from their normal modus operandi then person 'A' is at 55% and person 'B' is at 88%. Pheromones will give you a nudge, a boost, or a notable enhancement depending on where you're starting from. If you maximize yourself then pheromones will work wonders for you; if you minimize yourself then you'll get a minimal enhancement. That's really all there is to it.

This is also why I have repeated stated that I find more joy in the guys that could never even get a woman to say 'hello' to them see smiles and attention and even finding lady friends from pheromone use than i do from somebody like myself (or the other guys) that were already successful in their efforts netting even more success. For a guy that gets laid every night to get laid every night, only easier and faster, so what? For a guy that can't even get the time of day to getting laid every night...now that's a 'Behold the power of pheromones' moment.