It’s widely known that our bodies give off pheromones—chemicals found all over us, from our skin to our sweat glands. They are also responsible for giving us body odors, but new evidence suggests there may also be a connection between pheromones and bonding between humans.
You probably don’t think of human odor as being important. After all, we clean ourselves up every day, so how could an odor be an issue? It turns out that it could be something that connects us to others, making us more social. This may be related to our sense of smell, which could help explain why we’ve evolved to be more sensitive to the smell of others; not only is it a way for us to bond with friends, but it also helps us identify and recognize our family members.
People may feel more confident with the smell of others
You may feel more confident when in the presence of certain individuals, like a friend, relative, or partner. While you may not feel as though you smell particularly good or bad, others may perceive you differently. The subtle body odors that come from our sweat and feces and the presence of bacteria may carry more significance to others.
Body odors may encourage social behavior.
Body odors are a fact of life, and the fact that they are affected by our current state of health is well-known. When people are sick, they smell different, and pregnant women regularly report that they smell different as well. We tend not to realize that odor can also affect our mood and behavior. For example, the odor of sweat does not appear to affect healthy people. Still, research has found that when people suffering from stress or depression smell a whiff of sweat, their negative emotions decrease, and they become more social.
People may feel good when near others.
One of the more fascinating aspects of human behavior is how people interact. We might not be aware of the science behind it, but we may have all experienced the phenomenon known as social contagion. Simply put, social contagion is when a person’s behavior or emotional state changes when in close proximity to another person, even if that other person doesn’t share any common interests or hobbies. This might sound a bit supernatural, but it’s actually completely natural.
People may perform better when in close proximity to others.
According to researchers, people may perform better when near others, who found that proximity boosted performance on cognitive and visual tasks. Scientists believe that proximity creates a sense of shared emotion, which prompts us to work more efficiently. They also found that proximity did not impact performance when participants were playing a social game.
The smell of another person can instigate feelings of closeness. This strong association is so powerful that one person’s body odor can trigger another’s perception of their loyalty or even desirability. This correlation has led researchers to suggest that odor similarities serve as an important form of nonverbal communication.
Humans are social creatures, and scientists know that much of our behavior—what we share, what we choose to eat, and how we dress—is influenced by who we are surrounded by. Now, new research suggests that people’s reactions to each other’s odors may also contribute to our social bonds.
Social bonding may be enhanced by similar body odor in humans. In a new study, researchers compared people’s odors and noted some similarities. For instance, people may smell similar because only bacteria, not viruses, produce 3-oxo-L-leucine — and bacteria are in the waist and armpits only. The researchers also found that people who smell similar are more open to and tolerant of others.
An extensive study on human body odor and primate sex suggests that our affinity for those we sniff is rooted in evolutionary biology. A human’s scent could tell you quite a bit about his or her personality, and when primates get a whiff of another primate’s scent, it could trigger a sexually charged moment.