Can pheromones in shops make you want to buy stuff? Maybe, if you’re a woman.

 Apparently some casinos know that pumping certain  scents into their air conditioning will increase the time spent gambling. And there are stories that banks know that other scents mean people are willing to wait longer in lines.

Now two Sydney academics are working with the putative human pheromone androstadienone as a way of helping consumers feel better and maybe buy more. You can see the original research paper here

One of the researchers, Colin Li, has been exploring the effectiveness and drawbacks of using this pheromone with advertising and in shops. He recently spoke to Bob Hughes about his work.

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