Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive

science.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 143 posts

Re: Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive

#111

Post by jasongill »

XorNot wrote: post #21
BiteCode_dev wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be funny if you could only smell it if it was your biological child. Although getting serious statistics on the matter is not easy, the estimated numbers can be surprisingly high (e.g: "One in 25 fathers is not biological parent": https://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/aug/11/childrensser... ) If suddenly we discovered an easy way to give a hint you should do a DNA test, it could do some serious noise.

Technically 23 and Me monetized this as the fun holiday gift for everyone + the reddit thread you post in the aftermath.

My wife is on a number of genetic genealogy Facebook groups, and this time of year is peak season for confused new posters who are desperately trying to get some rationalization as to why their father (or mother!) didn't match with them on 23andMe. Many just cannot accept reality and continue posting convoluted possible reasons ("23andMe messed up both me and my fathers tests, but we both still matched with lots of other people?"). It's quite sad at times

Re: Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive

#112

Post by kumarvvr »

seba_dos1 wrote: post #108
kumarvvr wrote: post #91

There is something magical about being a father. I remember a scene in the sitcom Friends, where Chandler mumbles cute words after seeing emma. I feel exactly the same whenever I see my son. And he is 5 years old now. So grown up and all. HN successfully attenuated the magic, by floating out these articles which reduce the magic to chemical factors. PS - On a lighter note.

"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" ― Douglas Adams I never understood how explaining something makes its "magic" go away. If anything, it usually made me appreciate it more.

I guess its human nature.

Re: Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive

#113

Post by jtbayly »

amelius wrote: post #19
rp1 wrote: post #3

I don’t know if this counts as a pheromone, but babies definitely emit _something_. As a recent father, I have had numerous people remark on how wonderful babies smell after smelling my child. I can’t smell anything. People who can smell this particular smell seem very perplexed that I can’t smell it.

> As a recent father, I have had numerous people remark on how wonderful babies smell after smelling my child. Did you get these remarks from women, and were they aggressive (as the study says)?

“Your baby smells so good!… … NO! I will not give her back now!”

Re: Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive

#116

Post by meepmorp »

Arete314159 wrote: post #60
dr_dshiv wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For serious? The top of my kids heads smelled intoxicating for the first 6-9 months. There is still a special scent but not quite the same. And I smell it on other babies, too. It’s like smelling breast milk, but emanating from the Fontainelle

Probably TMI, but I have a very good sense of smell. I once figured out my coworker was pregnant because she basically smelled the same as a baby's fontanelle (I kept this to myself, I'm not insane).

To be a fly on the wall for the hypothetical alternative timeline where you decided to have that conversation. "Not to sound weird, but you smell like babies..."

Re: Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive

#117

Post by cambaceres »

meepmorp wrote: post #116
Arete314159 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably TMI, but I have a very good sense of smell. I once figured out my coworker was pregnant because she basically smelled the same as a baby's fontanelle (I kept this to myself, I'm not insane).

To be a fly on the wall for the hypothetical alternative timeline where you decided to have that conversation. "Not to sound weird, but you smell like babies..."

Hi Lauri, you smell like an infant. Wanna grab some lunch?

Re: Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive

#118

Post by cambaceres »

rp1 wrote: post #3

I don’t know if this counts as a pheromone, but babies definitely emit _something_. As a recent father, I have had numerous people remark on how wonderful babies smell after smelling my child. I can’t smell anything. People who can smell this particular smell seem very perplexed that I can’t smell it.

I have the same experience. The smell dissapears when they stop breastfeeding.

Re: Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive

#119

Post by persedes »

ccalloway wrote: post #92
lotsofpulp wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Human baby urine soaked Kirkland diapers smell like Corn Flakes cereal to me.

The absorbent stuff in diapers is basically corn starch.

Isn't it sodium polyacrylate? I've learned that e.g. hello fresh uses the same stuff in their ice packs.

Re: Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive

#120

Post by meepmorp »

unobatbayar wrote: post #79
rp1 wrote: post #3

I don’t know if this counts as a pheromone, but babies definitely emit _something_. As a recent father, I have had numerous people remark on how wonderful babies smell after smelling my child. I can’t smell anything. People who can smell this particular smell seem very perplexed that I can’t smell it.

Off topic: You can't smell anything from baby's excrement until they start eating meat.

This is wrong.
Post reply on HN