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人类化学信息物质研究进展与理论挑战

Social Functions and Theoretical Debates on Human Chemosignals

王笛新

Psychology of China / 2026,8(3): 232-238 / 2026-04-07 9 4

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• Information:

  西南大学心理学部，重庆

• Keywords:
  Pheromones; Chemosignals; Social cognition; Mate choice
  信息素; 化学社会信号; 社会认知; 配偶选择
• Abstract: Pheromones have long been recognized as an essential medium of biological communication, with extensive and replicable evidence documented across insects and vertebrates. These studies have established a multi-level framework encompassing peripheral detection, neural integration, and neuroendocrine regulation. As research attention has gradually shifted from animals to humans, the potential role of chemical signals in human social interaction has attracted renewed interest. Building upon the conceptual foundations of pheromone research and advances in animal studies, the present review synthesizes empirical findings on the influence of human chemosignals across multiple domains, including social perception, emotional processing, mate selection, and social behavior regulation. Existing evidence suggests that steroid-based compounds and emotion-related body odors can modulate cognitive and behavioral tendencies at a largely unconscious level. However, such effects are typically context-dependent and moderated by factors such as sex, sexual orientation, and physiological state. Meanwhile, anatomical and genetic observations imply a possible reduction of the classical pheromone system in humans, whereas behavioral and neuroimaging studies continue to report pheromone-like effects. This apparent tension has prompted a theoretical shift from the binary question of whether human pheromones exist to an in-depth investigation of the functional mechanisms of human chemosignals. Future research should strengthen causal evidence through improved methodological rigor and develop theoretical models better suited to human chemical communication, thereby advancing our understanding of the biological foundations of social behavior. 信息素作为一种重要的生物通讯方式，已在昆虫与脊椎动物中获得大量稳定而可重复的实证支持，并逐渐形成从外周检测到神经内分泌调控的多层级作用模型。随着研究视角由动物拓展至人类，学界开始重新审视化学信号在人类社会互动中的潜在功能。本文系统梳理了信息素概念的提出及其在动物研究中的发展脉络，重点综述了人类化学信息物质在社会知觉、情绪加工、配偶选择及社会行为调节等方面的研究进展。既有证据表明，类固醇化合物与情绪相关体味能够在无意识层面影响个体的社会认知与行为倾向，但其效应通常表现出显著的情境依赖性，并受到性别、性取向与生理状态等因素调节。与此同时，解剖与分子层面的发现提示传统信息素系统在人类中可能发生退化，而行为与神经研究却不断报告“信息素样效应”，这一矛盾促使研究者逐渐从“是否存在人类信息素”的二元争论转向对“化学社会信号”功能机制的探讨。未来研究需在方法学上强化候选化合物的因果证据链，并在理论层面构建更适用于人类的化学交流模型，以深化对人类社会行为生物学基础的理解。
• DOI: 10.35534/pc.0803036 (registering DOI)
• Cite: 王笛新. (2026). 人类化学信息物质研究进展与理论挑战. 中国心理学前沿, 8 (3), 232-238.