Are women led by their noses?
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To have a nose for something, lead someone by the nose, come up smelling roses... expressions about our sense of smell are a dime a dozen. But are we actually aware of the relationship between our sense of smell and our emotions?
Seeking out long-lost odours
Who has never been surprised by a smell that reminds them of a vague childhood memory? As it happens, photos are not the only witnesses of our souvenirs and some senses can unexpectedly bring memories up to the surface. Odours can be charged with great emotional content. You only have to take a little look at references to smells and odours in poetry and literature.
According to psychologist Rachel Herz, there are no naturally liked or disliked odours. All odours reflect the emotions we associate with them; all carry a personal history. Herz relates the case of one of her patients who hated the smell of roses, which she smelt for the first time at her mother’s funeral. “Odours are perceived as an interpretation based on previous experiences. The significance of odours is not innate and the way we react to them is not pharmacological. They are the result of learning and association,” explains Dr Herz.
These relationships between olfactory perception and emotions are the main subject of Dr Herz’s research: how do men and women perceive this information? How do odours influence behaviour? Her latest study attempts to provide an element of response to the latter question.
Can’t see further than the end of your nose...
Psychologists at Brown University in the United States1 wanted to test the hypothesis that some odours can quantifiably influence intellectual performance and behaviour. To do this, the scientists divided 63 women into three groups. The first group were subjected to a new ambient odour and had to play a computer game that was impossible to win. Result: strong feelings of frustration!
After a 20 minute break, they were asked to work on thought-process exercises in three different ambiances: the same odour as the first exercise, a different odour and no odour at all. Results: those who remained in the same environment spent less time on the exercises than the other groups. “Following the frustration induced by the odour, they demonstrated impatience to carry out an exercise which stimulated their intellect,” declared Dr Herz.
The second experiment helped to confirm that it was a question of less significant perseverance and not better test performance. What is more, the psychologists wanted to know whether being exposed for a long time to the same scent could cause this alteration in performance. Replacing the computer game stage by watching a neutral video, they observed no difference between the three groups after the verbal tests. These results show, according to the researchers, a general phenomenon already observed in children: emotions can be associated with certain smells and have a direct influence on behaviour.
Is your nose telling you that love is in the air?
Presented during a meeting of the Association of Chemoreception Sciences, this study is not the only one to associate odours and behaviour. And so, every once in a while, the possible existence of pheromones having an effect on sexual attraction between men and women returns to the forefront. Over and above their instinctive reactions, these imperceptible odours apparently have a role inherited from human evolution and are directly linked to social organisation.
Science has so far highlighted that:
Women who live together tend to synchronise their menstrual cycles2. In 1998, Dr Herz with Pr. Stern3 proved that odourless molecules originating from women’s underarms at certain times of their cycle change the date of ovulation and periods of other women subject to these same molecules;
The presence of an olfactory aversion mechanism4 to family members exists, which is capable of signalling the stage of independence and social distancing during pre-adolescence;
A woman’s special attention to her potential partner’s odour5. This scent apparently reflects the differences in immune system levels. To transmit the most effective defence mechanisms to descendants (therefore defence mechanisms relatively far removed from their own), women apparently subconsciously base their partner choice on their sense of smell;
Breastfeeding mothers and newborns6 emit odours, which apparently promote sexual desire in other women. Inherited from our ancestors, these chemical substances apparently signal a favourable period for reproduction;
Men are not spared either. According to a study7 carried out on approximately fifty men, their sense of smell was capable of pointing out that the scent of underwear worn by women during ovulation is more pleasant or even sexier!
However, take care not to attach too much importance to your sense of smell. These remains of our evolution don’t carry much weight in comparison to the information gathered by our other senses such as sight and hearing in particular.
It’s pointless therefore, to invest in those love potions that promise success with the opposite sex... or you may risk letting your soul mate pass right under your nose!
1. “Odour-emotional conditioning: effects on behaviour,” Abstract 424 – AchemS-25th Annual Meeting, April 9-13, 2003
2. Nature 229: 244-245, 1971
3. Nature 1998 Mar 12;392(6672):177-9
4. New Scientist 22, August 2002
5. Nature Genetics, February 2002
6. New Scientist 24, April 2002
7. Proceedings of the Royal Society B., Vol.268, April 2001, p.797-801
David Bême
More information:
The olfactory chemistry of love
Tao: the way to sexual fulfilment
Couples discussions
