Study: Men's Saliva Responds To Women
University Of Chicago Researchers Find Subjects' Spit Tells All
UPDATED: 5:04 p.m. CST November 7, 2003
CHICAGO -- 
A recent University of Chicago research study confirms what many have suspected for a long time: women make men drool.
NBC5's Nesita Kwan reported that a Chicago researcher is proving that there is something in a man's saliva that shows he's coming on to a woman.
Scientists tested the saliva of 39 heterosexual men who agreed to participate in a what they thought was a test of the chemistry of their spit. The test was set-up in such a way that the men were asked to wait for a period of time between giving samples. Each waited in the company of a research assistant; in some cases a male and in other cases a 20-something woman.
The assistants were instructed to make small talk with the waiting subjects for about five minutes.
"I tried to hold this general conversation with them," said assistant Elizabeth Hirsch (pictured, right), adding that her approach was "nothing overtly flirtatious."
After a short time, the subjects' saliva was tested for a second time.
Those who chatted with the female research assistants showed a 30 percent increase in testosterone levels in their saliva. Testosterone is a hormone that influences male sexual behavior.
Testosterone levels were highest in a few of the men who were, apparently, flirting with the assistants.
"I could tell by the eye contact," Hirsch said. "If they were asking me a lot of questions about myself rather than me asking questions ... they were interested in me."
The experiment, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, is part of a larger study of male sexuality.
"The ultimate goal is to pinpoint what part of the brain might regulate courtship," according to James Roney, a U. of C. postdoctoral student who supervised the study as part of the the university's Institute for Mind and Biology.
A recent University of Chicago research study confirms what many have suspected for a long time: women make men drool.
NBC5's Nesita Kwan reported that a Chicago researcher is proving that there is something in a man's saliva that shows he's coming on to a woman.
Scientists tested the saliva of 39 heterosexual men who agreed to participate in a what they thought was a test of the chemistry of their spit. The test was set-up in such a way that the men were asked to wait for a period of time between giving samples. Each waited in the company of a research assistant; in some cases a male and in other cases a 20-something woman.
The assistants were instructed to make small talk with the waiting subjects for about five minutes.
"I tried to hold this general conversation with them," said assistant Elizabeth Hirsch (pictured, right), adding that her approach was "nothing overtly flirtatious."
After a short time, the subjects' saliva was tested for a second time.
Those who chatted with the female research assistants showed a 30 percent increase in testosterone levels in their saliva. Testosterone is a hormone that influences male sexual behavior.
Testosterone levels were highest in a few of the men who were, apparently, flirting with the assistants.
"I could tell by the eye contact," Hirsch said. "If they were asking me a lot of questions about myself rather than me asking questions ... they were interested in me."
The experiment, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, is part of a larger study of male sexuality.
"The ultimate goal is to pinpoint what part of the brain might regulate courtship," according to James Roney, a U. of C. postdoctoral student who supervised the study as part of the the university's Institute for Mind and Biology. Copyright 2003 by NBC5.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
