Scents and sex: How the nose knows what turns us on

They say that scent is one of the most powerful reminders of past memories. And that aromatherapy can calm or excite us depending on the scent. But did you know that who or what we smell also plays a part in physical attraction? Here’s some fascinating info on sex and your sense of smell.

• Everyone has their own odor print just like unique fingerprints: Even though both sexes can pick up chemical messages by smelling pheromones, women are better at detecting real genetic info from another person’s odor.
  
• What kind of genetic info can we smell? Love at first scent is related to our immune system. We are naturally attracted to mates with dissimilar immune systems that add to and complement ours so we produce healthier offspring. (Not quite ready for offspring? We’ve got you covered.)
  
• Women prefer the scent of men with shaved armpits: You’d think a hairy pit filled with manly man smell would have a better chance of exuding his primal odor print and attracting the ladies. Not according to this study.
  
• Women and gay men respond similarly to male pheromones: We both appreciate guys’ sweat chemicals.
• Can you use the power of smell to your sexual advantage? Yes. Miss Tempting breaks it down for us.
• Aphrodisiac scents: Bergamot, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Grapefruit, Tuberose, Ylang Ylang, and many more.
• Scents that arouse men: Smelling pumpkin, lavender, and doughnuts can actually get his little man to stand at attention. We are not making this up.
• What trends will influence how we smell in 2012? Perfume Shrine lists aromatic notes like root beer, tart guava, leather, and ginger orchid. How interesting that a lot of the upcoming fragrance trends can also be seen on the aphrodisiac list of scents.
  

Guess that science stuff explains why we steal our significant other’s t-shirts and sleep in them without washing them first. What? Just us? Doubt it.

Smell ya later,
Bedsider

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