In the study, men were asked to sniff vials containing either the women's tears or saline that had been applied to their cheeks.
Results showed that men who sniffed the tears perceived those women as sexually less attractive than did men who sniffed saline.
And men who took a whiff of tears (and not saline) reported a decrease in sexual arousal. These men also reported reduced activity in the areas of brain that are associated with sexual arousal, such as the hypothalamus.
"I think the study has used sound methodology and the results indeed are fascinating. But as far as I know, there is no clear logical, theoretical or empirical justification to design a study on the effects of tears on sex," Nature quoted Ad Vingerhoets, who studies emotion at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, as saying.
Interestingly, on the other hand, tears are considered to heighten empathy and induce caring behaviour, and they act as sexual attractants in mice but decrease sexual arousal in humans.
Tears Chemical Turn-off Weizmann Institute of Science
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