Why can you smell some people and not others? (2024)

Why can you smell some people and not others?

While it can change depending on our diet and health, a lot of what makes our smell unique is determined by our genetics. Our body odour is specific enough, and our sense of smell accurate enough, that people can pair the sweaty T-shirts of identical twins from a group of strangers' T-shirts.

Phantosmia may be caused by a head injury or upper respiratory infection. It can also be caused by aging, trauma, temporal lobe seizures, inflamed sinuses, brain tumors, certain medications and Parkinson's disease. Phantosmia can also result from COVID-19 infection.

Summary. Body odor is caused by bacteria breaking down the sweat from the apocrine glands in your armpits, groin, and pubic area. You may be more prone to body odor if you are overweight, eat certain foods, have certain health conditions, or are under stress. Genetics may also play a role.

One study even showed that the genetic coding for a certain protein that binds on to smells and helps them reach the smell receptors in the nose, does vary within populations, so some people may naturally have a better sense of smell than others.

People are able to sniff out their closest relatives, but think their family members stink, a new study concludes. The study, reported in this Saturday's British weekly New Scientist, suggests that the aversion family members have for each other's scent helps prevent incest.

Certain body odours are connected to human sexual attraction. Humans can make use of body odour subconsciously to identify whether a potential mate will pass on favourable traits to their offspring. Body odour may provide significant cues about the genetic quality, health and reproductive success of a potential mate.

When you're attracted to someone, you're more likely to be drawn to their smell.” Some say that we release pheromones (oxytocin), also referred to as “love hormones,” when there's an attraction — causing one to be drawn to someone's smell, she explains.

If you're constantly smelling something nobody around you seems to be able to smell, you may have a condition called phantosmia. It's a term used to describe olfactory hallucinations -- that means the organs related to your sense of smell are sensing odors that aren't really there.

Humans can smell fear and disgust, and the emotions are contagious, according to a new study. The findings, published Nov. 5 in the journal Psychological Science, suggest that humans communicate via smell just like other animals.

Everyone has their own scent—just think of how differently your grandma and your boyfriend smell when you lean in for a hug. But can we smell ourselves? For the first time, scientists show that yes, we can, ScienceNOW reports. Our basis of self-smell originates in molecules similar to those animals use to chose mates.

How do I know if I stink?

Try this: sniff coffee or charcoal for a full minute. Then go back and take a whiff of your underarm or other potentially offending area. In a pinch, you could even smell the crook of your elbow, which contains few sweat glands.

The answer has to do with hormones—specifically, pheromones. “Pheromones are chemicals that animals and humans produce, which change and influence the behavior of another animal or human of the same species,” says Erica Spiegelman, wellness specialist, recovery counselor, and author of The Rewired Life.

Hyperosmia is an overwhelming sensitivity to smells. There are many reasons behind this change in smell. Some include genetics, hormone changes, and migraines. ‌If you have hyperosmia, your taste may also be affected.

Evidence that humans prefer genetically dissimilar partners based on scent. A team of researchers at Université Paris Diderot has found evidence that suggests humans are able to detect via smell which partners are genetically preferable.

According to the researchers, this suggests that "judgements of dominance based on body odour might be especially important in a mating context." No effects of smell on personality were found for agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.

Takeaway. Current research has shown that humans are influenced by their partner's scent when determining attractiveness and compatibility. Personal hygiene plays a big role in your personal scent, but so do your genetics.

Scientists from the University of Kent had a group of men sniff sweat samples from women who were both aroused and “not in the mood”. Not only were the men able to detect the aroused odours, they also found these scents more attractive, boosting their own libido.

The compound androstenone can induce many reactions, depending on who is on the receiving end. For some, it smells sweet, like flowers or vanilla; to others it is foul, like sweat or urine. And then there are those who can't smell it at all.

Can a man smell when a woman is menstruating?

And what about during your period? Previous studies have shown that a woman's body odor is strongest during menstruation and that men who are particularly sensitive to smells can even detect this change in her scent.

Olfactophilia or osmolagnia is a paraphilia for, or sexual arousal by, smells and odors emanating from the body, especially the sexual areas. Sigmund Freud used the term osphresiolagnia in reference to pleasure caused by odors.

The study suggests the human body produces chemical signals, called pheromones. And these scents affect how one person perceives another. Scientists have demonstrated the effects of pheromones in a whole range of animals, including insects, rodents, squid and reptiles. But whether people make them has been less clear.

Pheromones: The Hidden Key To All Things Sexy? Some people think their partner smells so good because of pheromones, which are chemicals that act like hormones outside of the body, influencing others' behavior, Dr. Navya Mysore, M.D., a provider at One Medical.

Phantom Smells, such as odd, strong, acrid, metallic, blood-like, sour, ammonia-like, acidy, and repugnant smells, to name a few, are common anxiety disorder symptoms. Many anxious people report having phantom and odd smells as an anxiety symptom.

Yes, sometimes people are attracted to other people's special brand of human smell. It sounds weird, but every so often, a chemically compatible match comes along and...you get all caught up in a phenomenon we're calling body-odor attraction. And, no, you are not alone.

Sweating and body odor are caused by sweat glands in your body. The two main types of sweat glands are eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands occur over most of your body and open directly onto the surface of the skin.

People can unconsciously detect whether someone is stressed or scared by smelling a chemical pheromone released in their sweat, according to researchers who have investigated the underarm secretions of petrified skydivers.

Clara Wilson, a PhD student in the School of Psychology at Queen's, explains: "The findings show that we, as humans, produce different smells through our sweat and breath when we are stressed and dogs can tell this apart from our smell when relaxed -- even if it is someone they do not know.

Is It True That Dogs Can Smell Fear? The science is in, and the answer is a resounding YES—dogs can smell fear. Dogs have olfactory superpowers that can detect a human's emotional state by the scent that a human emits. That's right—you can't hide fear from dogs.

Do some people not have a smell?

Anosmia [ah-NOSE-mee-ah] is the complete inability to detect odors. In rare cases, someone may be born without a sense of smell, a condition called congenital anosmia.

It would be amazing if you could sniff yourself and immediately pick up on any emanating odors, but alas, life isn't so simple. According to Lifehacker, it can be quite difficult to detect your own body odors because the receptors in your nose shut down after smelling the same scent for too long.

Medically known as hyperosmia (osmia meaning sense of smell), being a super smeller is a rare condition defined by having a heightened sense of pleasant or unpleasant smells. The small number of studies carried out on hyperosmia prove that the condition has a medical reason or could be a part of a syndrome.

ODOR AFTER A SHOWER IS DUE TO LINGERING BACTERIA

In addition to bacteria, oftentimes there is deodorant residue and other impurities that are trapped in the underarm pores and within the hair if you have armpit hair.

Oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are packed full of pleasant-smelling oils and compounds, which quickly become absorbed by the body and gently released through the skin. As such, eating such fruits is a quick way to improve your natural aroma.

One way is to take your shirt off and sniff that instead of your skin, recommends Lifehacker. Other ways to check your own scent is to rub your scalp, then smell your fingers; check your breath by licking your arm, waiting a second, then sniffing the spot. Or even quicker and easier—ask your parent to give you a whiff!

But new research suggests there may be a less obvious way to pick up on another person's positive vibes: smell. According to a team of European researchers, happiness may generate chemicals that get secreted in sweat, and that sweat signal gets sniffed by those around us.

But the problem with this line of thinking, as Patrick Allan recently explained in Lifehacker, is that outside of extreme olfactory circ*mstances — like, I don't know, spending the day shoveling manure — most people can't actually smell themselves.

If you want to smell good all the time, you should shower with soap every day and brush your teeth twice a day. Once you're clean, if you want to up your game, try dabbing a small amount of perfume or cologne on your wrists, neck, and behind your ears.

How can I smell better longer?

Taste is a sensory function of the central nervous system, and is considered the weakest sense in the human body.

Dogs, most of us think, have the best noses on the planet. But a new study reveals that this honor actually goes to elephants. The power of a mammal's sniffer hinges on the number and type of its olfactory receptor genes.

The new study shows ghrelin, made mainly in the stomach, binds to molecules in the brain's olfactory bulb, suggesting the hormone is directly involved in odor processing.

Brief episodes of phantom smells or phantosmia — smelling something that's not there — can be triggered by temporal lobe seizures, epilepsy, or head trauma. Phantosmia is also associated with Alzheimer's and occasionally with the onset of a migraine.

It basically means, in layman's terms, that you are so obsessed with this other person that you have lost your mind.

If you're constantly smelling something nobody around you seems to be able to smell, you may have a condition called phantosmia. It's a term used to describe olfactory hallucinations -- that means the organs related to your sense of smell are sensing odors that aren't really there.

Every person has a unique scent. “It's like a fingerprint,” says Johan Lundström, a neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. “There is a large genetic component to body odor. Even trained sniffer dogs have a hard time distinguishing between identical twins, unless the twins are on different diets.”

The study suggests the human body produces chemical signals, called pheromones. And these scents affect how one person perceives another. Scientists have demonstrated the effects of pheromones in a whole range of animals, including insects, rodents, squid and reptiles.

Yes, sometimes people are attracted to other people's special brand of human smell. It sounds weird, but every so often, a chemically compatible match comes along and...you get all caught up in a phenomenon we're calling body-odor attraction. And, no, you are not alone.

What happens if you smell someone you love?

When you're attracted to someone, you're more likely to be drawn to their smell.” Some say that we release pheromones (oxytocin), also referred to as “love hormones,” when there's an attraction — causing one to be drawn to someone's smell, she explains.

Some people think their partner smells so good because of pheromones, which are chemicals that act like hormones outside of the body, influencing others' behavior, Dr. Navya Mysore, M.D., a provider at One Medical. In animals, pheromones signal that it's time to mate, or warn that an enemy is approaching.

Those with an allicin anosmia can't smell garlic. Some people can't smell menthol or vanilla. Iodoform is that vague disinfectant smell of hospitals, and skatole, and, as its name suggests, is the smell of scat. Both are compounds that some lucky people can't smell at all.

Humans can smell fear and disgust, and the emotions are contagious, according to a new study. The findings, published Nov. 5 in the journal Psychological Science, suggest that humans communicate via smell just like other animals.

Our basis of self-smell originates in molecules similar to those animals use to chose mates. Humans use these molecules, called histocompatibility complex proteins, to help differentiate between people and between our own cells and invading pathogens.

Body odor happens when bacteria on your skin come in contact with sweat. Our skin is naturally covered with bacteria. When we sweat, the water, salt and fat mix with this bacteria and can cause odor. The odor can be bad, good or have no smell at all.