Sniffing Volatile Hexadecanal in the Human Body Blocks Aggression in Men but Triggers Aggression in Women

November 19, 2021 Volume 7, Issue 47 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg1530

Commentary

Terrestrial mammals have been told that their body volatiles may effectively trigger or prevent aggression in their own species.

This study tested whether hexadecanal (HEX), a human body volatile, affects aggression in humans.

A validated behavioral paradigm was used to observe significant dissociation.

Sniffing HEX was shown to block aggression in men and trigger aggression in women. This was followed by the use of functional brain imaging to reveal patterns of brain activity that reflect behavior. In both men and women, HEX increased activity in the left angular gyrus, a region involved in the perception of social cues. And HEX modulated functional connections between the angular gyrus and brain networks involved in social evaluation (temporal pole) and active execution in a sex-dependent manner consistent with behavior.

This increases connectivity in males, but decreases it in females.

This result implies a gendered social chemical signal at the heart of the mechanism of human aggressive behavior.