It’s no secret that, in general, girls with loving fathers tend to fare better. Often, having a father in their lives can delay girls’ sexual activity. However, a controversial new study proposes something even more interesting.

According to the results of a survey being reported in the current American Journal of Human Biology, the pheremones emitted by a father may delay the onset of puberty in girls.

Pheremones are describe as “chemicals that are secreted by animals that influence the behavior or development of others of the same species.”

This obviously works on lower animals but, if this study is to be believed, it could also be working on humans.

An excerpt of the article explains the study:

The research involved 1,938 female college students who answered a questionnaire about the makeup of their families and the date of their first period.

“Essentially, the main finding was that if a girl grew up without the biological father present in the household, she had an earlier menarche,” or onset of first menstruation, said Matchock, an assistant professor of psychology.

Other researchers found that the chemical reaction that triggers menarche might be a little-known pheromone receptor gene in the human olfactory system, Matchock said.

Dr. Bernard I. Grosser, a pioneer in pheromone research, characterized the study as “certainly provocative.”

“There are probably many different pheromone-like substances out there, and as yet we have little idea what they do,” said Grosser, psychiatry professor and chairman at the University of Utah.

“There are any number of factors in the Matchock study that could affect the results. One issue … is that this is a retrospective study, and to have that memory going back five or more years is a problem,” Grosser said. An error of a month or two in remembering menarche “could compromise the degree of statistical significance.”

So, this is by no means a done deal but, if this proves true, there is just one more reason for fathers to be involved in the lives of their daughters.

Popularity: 14% [?]