- Michael Roberts
- Health reporter, BBC News
Bacterial contact with biological compounds on the surface of the skin causes sweat to smell
A study conducted by researchers in Sweden with the help of volunteers suggests that smelling other people’s body odors may be helpful in treating social anxiety.
The researchers used armpit sweat in the experiments of that study.
The research suggests that smelling the scent of others activates brain pathways associated with emotions, which may have a calming effect. However, it is still too early to prove this hypothesis.
The research team working on this study will present some of its findings at a medical conference in the French capital, Paris, this week.
Why and how can we inhale the smell of other people’s bodies?
Babies are born with a keen sense of smell and prefer to smell their mother’s scent and the smell of breast milk.
The sense of smell helps us sense danger in food and fire smoke, for example, as well as interact with our environment and each other.
Smell also makes meals more appetizing and helps bring back memories.
Smells are detected by receptors in the upper part of the nose that transmit signals to the brain’s limbic system, the part responsible for memories and emotions.
The Swedish researchers suggest that the smell of the human body may reveal the emotional state of a person when he is happy or anxious, for example – it may even provoke similar reactions to the same emotional state in others who smell the smell.
The researchers asked volunteers to donate armpit sweat, which was secreted by the body while watching a horror movie or a funny movie.
Forty-eight women with social anxiety agreed to sniff these samples while receiving a traditional treatment for the problem called “mindfulness and meditation,” which involves encouraging patients to focus on the present moment and place more than negative thoughts.
A number of these women were given the smell of sweat while another smelled the open air.
The result was more progress in traditional psychotherapy for those who smelled sweat.
The leader of the research team preparing this study, Elisa Vigna, at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said, “The sweat secreted by the body of a happy person had the same effect as the sweat produced by a frightened person from a scene in a horror movie. It may be related to the human chemical signals of sweat in general.” which may be responsible for response to treatment.
She added: “It may be the presence of another person in the same place that has the same effect, but we need to make sure of that, and this is what we are trying at the present time in the framework of a follow-up study with a similar design, but where are we from the sweat that is secreted by those who watch documentaries.” emotionally neutral.”
What is sweat, and does it always smell?
Sweat is often odorless, but the sweat glands in the armpit and groin area often secrete compounds that produce body odor.
Bacteria on the surface of the skin close to the hair follicles interact with these biological compounds and body odor is produced.
“We know that there is a strong connection between the sense of smell and emotional health,” said Duncan Bock, of the Fifth Sense charity, which raises awareness of disorders of smell and taste.
“Losing the ability to smell people, such as a partner or children, can cause depression or a sense of isolation,” he added.
He continued: “While this study is preliminary, there is of course still a need for more work. It is very encouraging to see more research on the importance of the sense of smell for good mental health.”
