Unraveling the universality of chemical fear communication: evidence from behavioral, genetic, and chemical analyses.

ABSTRACT: Abundant evidence indicates that humans can communicate threat-related information to conspecifics through their body odors. However, prior research has been primarily conducted on Western (WEIRD) samples. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether threat-related information can be transmitted by individuals of East Asian descent who carry a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 538G → A in the ABCC11 gene, which significantly reduces (noticeable) body odor. To examine this, we recruited 18 self-identified male East Asian AA-homozygotes and 18 self-identified male Western individuals who were carriers of the functional G-allele. We collected samples of their fear-related and neutral body odors. Subsequently, we conducted a double-blind behavioral experiment in which we presented these s

SUBMITTER: de Groot JHB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10718800 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature