...and you all thought my theories about pheromones ruling the world were horse shit, didn't you? Well, check THIS out!
What I find interesting about this article is not that it, in a roundabout way, supports my crackpot thesis, but rather, that the study in question suggests that gendered behaviors are so easily modifiable. If all it takes to make a mouse behave like a man (er, male mouse), is flipping a little receptor switch in its brain... well, doesn't that just completely undermine the notion that male and female behaviors are intrinsic and unchanging in a totally fabulous way? I mean, just think! If something that came out of this study on mice held true for humans as well, maybe, when I try to convince people that my motivations stem from my humanity rather than my femininity, people might not scoff at me. Seriously, people: gender roles are pretty darn malleable, when it's all said and done.
Also, the fact that gendered behavior in mice is comprised of two components--an internal sensor and the sensory information (smell) that it receives is pretty interesting, too. In other words, a mouse doesn't just act like a girl because it's how she's made. She's gotta smell something to kick those behavior patterns into gear. Oh, the implications!
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