According to the New York Times, scientists who studied human olfaction were wondering if the molecules wafting off our skin could be taken in and sensed differently by the people around us. So, they decided to perform a small experiment to test the theory.
In a small study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, researchers investigating pairs of friends whose friendship “clicked” from the beginning found intriguing evidence that each person’s body odor was close to that of the friends.
The group of scientists, led by Inbal Ravreby, olfaction researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, recruited 20 friends who said that they “clicked” right when they met. Next, she made them lay off things that affected body odor including garlic, onions, deodorant, after-shave, etc. The recruits had to bathe in unscented soap that was provided as well. Then, they slept in clean T-shirts so that the shirts would be fully scented with their body odor.
Ms. Ravreby then used an electronic nose and had 25 other volunteers assess the smell of the shirts. They concluded that the friends had similar scents to that of compared to the strangers. This could mean that their bodies picked up their odors when their relationship began.
“It’s very probable that at least some of them were using perfumes when they met,” Ms.
Ravreby speculated. “But it did not mask whatever they had in common.”
However, there could be many other reasons for why the body odors were similar, such as eating at the same restaurants and having similar lifestyles, and so on. To figure out this issue, the researchers had 132 strangers who had T-shirts also covered covered in their body odor play a game in pairs. Afterward, they filled out a form about whether or not they felt connected to their partners.
It turns out, that the pairs that felt connected had similar body odors. This shows that smelling a person with a similar odor as your own generates happy feelings.
Now, the researchers are currently finding other methods to research body odors and how it impacts many things in our daily lives including different behaviors and decisions.
“If you think of the bouquet that is body odor, it’s 6,000 molecules at least,” Dr. Sobel said.
“There are 6,000 that we know of already — it’s probably way more.”
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656875608498x655947992108723200/Does%20Your%20Nose%20Help%20Pick%20Your%20Friends_%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
In a small study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, researchers investigating pairs of friends whose friendship “clicked” from the beginning found intriguing evidence that each person’s body odor was close to that of the friends.
The group of scientists, led by Inbal Ravreby, olfaction researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, recruited 20 friends who said that they “clicked” right when they met. Next, she made them lay off things that affected body odor including garlic, onions, deodorant, after-shave, etc. The recruits had to bathe in unscented soap that was provided as well. Then, they slept in clean T-shirts so that the shirts would be fully scented with their body odor.
Ms. Ravreby then used an electronic nose and had 25 other volunteers assess the smell of the shirts. They concluded that the friends had similar scents to that of compared to the strangers. This could mean that their bodies picked up their odors when their relationship began.
“It’s very probable that at least some of them were using perfumes when they met,” Ms.
Ravreby speculated. “But it did not mask whatever they had in common.”
However, there could be many other reasons for why the body odors were similar, such as eating at the same restaurants and having similar lifestyles, and so on. To figure out this issue, the researchers had 132 strangers who had T-shirts also covered covered in their body odor play a game in pairs. Afterward, they filled out a form about whether or not they felt connected to their partners.
It turns out, that the pairs that felt connected had similar body odors. This shows that smelling a person with a similar odor as your own generates happy feelings.
Now, the researchers are currently finding other methods to research body odors and how it impacts many things in our daily lives including different behaviors and decisions.
“If you think of the bouquet that is body odor, it’s 6,000 molecules at least,” Dr. Sobel said.
“There are 6,000 that we know of already — it’s probably way more.”
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656875608498x655947992108723200/Does%20Your%20Nose%20Help%20Pick%20Your%20Friends_%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
