Chemosignals Communicate Human Emotions

TLDR

Humans may convey emotional states through chemical signals. The study investigates whether emotional states are transmitted via chemosignals by testing this hypothesis within an embodied social communication framework. A double‑blind experiment measured facial expressions, sniffing, and eye scanning to assess responses to fear and disgust chemosignals. Fear chemosignals induced fearful facial expressions and increased sniffing and eye scanning, whereas disgust chemosignals produced disgusted expressions and reduced sniffing, target detection, and eye scanning, highlighting chemosignals’ role in nonconscious communication.

Abstract

Can humans communicate emotional states via chemical signals? In the experiment reported here, we addressed this question by examining the function of chemosignals in a framework furnished by embodied social communication theory. Following this theory, we hypothesized that the processes a sender experiences during distinctive emotional states are transmitted to receivers by means of the chemicals that the sender produces, thus establishing a multilevel correspondence between sender and receiver. In a double-blind experiment, we examined facial reactions, sensory-regulation processes, and visual search in response to chemosignals. We demonstrated that fear chemosignals generated a fearful facial expression and sensory acquisition (increased sniff magnitude and eye scanning); in contrast, disgust chemosignals evoked a disgusted facial expression and sensory rejection (decreased sniff magnitude, target-detection sensitivity, and eye scanning). These findings underline the neglected social relevance of chemosignals in regulating communicative correspondence outside of conscious access.