Hold the Deodorant?
Ware attracted to men who are ugly and sweaty -- at least in the lab, according to a study presented at the British Psychological Society conference yesterday. Women found ugly men more attractive when they were secretly exposed to the chemicals known as pheromones found in armpits, the Electronic Telegraph reports. The key word is "secretly." Whether sweaty armpits will fly in polite -- or impolite society -- is another question. In fact, the article notes that the smell of stale body odor is likely to wipe out any benefits from pheromones. Pheromones, first defined in 1959 as chemical substances excreted by animals, are naturally occurring substances the fertile body excretes to trigger mating, according to this Athena Institute Web site, which discusses them in depth. In humans, attraction is particularly strong in women not taking a contraceptive pill who are in the mid-point of their menstrual cycles. HealthSCOUT stories have reported on pheromones and the menstrual cycle and on the effect of a father's pheromones on his daughter's puberty. 
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