Menstrual synchrony by chance when there is menstrual cycle variability. Yang and Schank argued that when there is cycle variability (i.e., either women have irregular cycles, have cycles of different frequencies, or both), most women will have the opportunity to experience synchrony even though it is a result of cycle variability and not a result of a mechanism such as the exchange of pheromones. For example, consider two women A and B. Suppose A has menstrual cycles that are 28 days long and B has cycles that are 30 days long. Suppose further that when A and B become close friends, B
The Great Pheromone Myth mice and rats is a vestigial organ in humans. Menstrual synchrony has long been viewed as a physiological phenomenon in humans that could only be explained by the exchange of pheromones among women. He argues, however, that methodological critiques of menstrual cycle research and recent research indicate the menstrual synchrony does not occur among women. Finally, he reviews the literature on human pheromones and argues that there are serious methodological issues in all studies reporting human pheromones and that no human pheromone has ever been definitively identified. His conclusion is that human pheromones are a myth that is driven in