Which compound found in sweat has been proposed to signal sexual attractiveness?

• A. Testosterone
• B. Oxytocin
• C. Androstadienone
• D. Adrenaline

Answer: (C)

Humans can use chemical signals from sweat to influence social and sexual behavior. Androstadienone is a steroid found in male sweat that has been proposed to function as a pheromone signaling sexual attractiveness. Research has suggested that exposure to this compound can affect how women perceive potential partners—sometimes influencing ratings of attractiveness and even triggering brain activity in areas linked to mating and social processing. The idea is not that it guarantees attraction, but that it can modulate responses in a way that supports mate signaling.

The other substances don’t fit as this specific signal: testosterone is a hormone circulating in the body rather than a sweat-based cue tied to attractiveness; oxytocin is a neuropeptide linked to bonding and social trust, not a pheromonal signal in sweat; adrenaline is a stress-related hormone not proposed as a cue for sexual attractiveness in sweat.