Our Sense of Smell

[Corey]

I've read some interesting stuff about how smell can be linked to memories. Even going so far as to people smelling certain things while studying to help them remember things for exams!

I cry when studying, so when I start bawling when taking a test, it helps me do better because of the scent of my tears! :D

But really, I think olfaction, for me, anyway, is the most powerful sense. You can really tell a lot from someone's scent. I'd rather not get into the ongoing debate regarding human pheromones, but it's quite possible that we emit sexually arousing smells through our excretions. One study took sweat and urine from humans (mostly men) and exposed it to pigs, who became sexually stimulated by the odor. Similarly, when I was doing research for a paper regarding homosexuality, I stumbled upon a study that showed that a testosterone derivative produced in men's sweat invoked a hypothalamic response in gay men and straight women. Conversely, an estrogen-like compound found in women's urine caused a similar response in straight men and lesbian women (compared to normal scents, which activate smell-related areas of the brain). The hypothalamus has been linked to sexuality and hormones, which suggests that these two derivatives, which have long been suggested to be pheromones, could actually be human pheromones. But the evidence regarding human pheromones, whether they exist or not, is limited, and it's a rather controversial topic among scientists.

Scientific data aside, I think smell is pretty important in regards to sex. I mean, I'm guilty of getting a whiff of a cute guy that walks by. :3 I would say I'm more attracted to a guy that smells good. I think a li'l bit of musk is kinda hot, too. If he smells good, there's a 95% chance that I've just fallen deeply in love with him and have already planned our entire life together within those two seconds (he dies first, I mourn for a week, and then die of a heart attack brought on by the stress of a broken heart - it's pretty romantic).