Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 5

Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 5
According to the Sense of Smell Institute, women
consistently outscore men with their sense of smell.
Interestingly, however, it has found that a woman's ability
to smell is dependent on the level of various hormones in
her body. A woman's sense of smell is heightened during
the first half of her menstrual cycle and peaks when she is
most fertile and sexually responsive.

Women, it seems, have sensitivity to scented sex hormones,
or pheromones. During ovulation, women are 10,000 times
more sensitive to the scent of male hormones than during
menstruation.

Women sniff out the best mates via pheromones -- the
undetectable scents that drive a range of reproductive
behaviors. Humans have denser skin concentrations of the
scent glands that release pheromones than almost any other
mammal. As a result, pheromones are slinging at least some
of Cupid's arrows.

However, beware: studies have found that women on birth
control pills experience hormonal changes that can
interfere with this law of "scent attraction" -- leading to
trouble picking the right partner and potential problems
with infertility down the line. Once off the pill, some
women may find they have a different "sense" about their
mate.

Other studies have shown that aside from a woman's monthly
cycle, her gender alone also makes her more likely to have
a sharper sense of smell as female babies have a keener
sense of smell than their male cohorts. Studies conducted
by Dr. Hilary Schmidt reveal genetic differences in babies'
responsiveness to scents appear to have their origins in
infancy.

During her research, Dr. Schmidt noticed that female babies
responded to scented rattles while male babies did not.
However, her findings also show that male babies
demonstrate a preference for pleasantly-scented rattles
over those with an unpleasant scent while their female
cohorts demonstrate an equal interest in both. Overall,
scent—whether pleasant or unpleasant—piques the
interest of female babies.

According to Dr. Schmidt's research, children do not
demonstrate adult-like preferences regarding odour in their
environment until they begin to see their world through
adult-like eyes. At this time they begin to show
preferences for pleasant fragrances over unpleasant
fragrances.

Interestingly, another study reveals that not all scents
produce gender-specific responses, suggesting that sex
differences in olfactory prowess may be scent-dependent.
However, more research is needed in this area to conclude
whether a woman's menstrual cycle may play a determining
factor in this occurrence. It may be that certain scents
in studies done did not elicit gender-specific responses
because its female subjects were menstruating.

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Luke Vorstermans is the founder of The Sense of Smell Lab,
a world leader in the development of innovative products
that use our sense of smell to influence behavior, trigger
memories, manage cravings, enhance moods and improve sexual
health. To learn more about enhancing your sex drive, go
to http://www.scentuellepatch.com