A girl’s ability to smell is far greater than a guy’s, especially at the time of ovulation (when the female olfactory ability is at its greatest). This trait is extremely important in the process of evolution – girls attempt to detect any possible male pheromones that are present to increase their chance of successful procreation.
This is also particularly relevant given the findings at our bar odor tests. We discovered that guys emanate bad smells not only from their underarms, but also from their abdomen, back and chest. And since girls have a better ability to smell than guys do, they can detect a guy’s odor more intensely than other guys around him. The more intense the odor, the more unpleasant it is.
Thus, guys may perceive that they (or their friends) don’t smell that bad both because a) their sense of smell is not as good as a girl’s; and b) guys rapidly adapt to smell, so that if they are exposed to a smell over a short period of time, they do not recognize it anymore. Therefore, a guy will go to a bar smelling bad and not even know he smells – but girls near him will detect his malodor and will interpret that he smells bad, therefore is bad, and will avoid him.
Visit my blog next week to learn how to tell if it’s you who smells…or just the guy next to you.
Got any thoughts on Dr. Hirsch’s post? Do you agree with his assessment of girls’ smell senses versus guys’? Have you noticed an increase in other smells once cigarette smoke leaves bars? Post to the “Stench Support Group” here.
No comments:
Post a Comment