The Science of Scent Attraction

By: Gerald Fitz
Submitted: 2009-09-25 15:14:40
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Have you ever walked by someone and felt drawn to them simply by their smell? You may think that you are attracted simply because you like that smell, but recent research has shown the true effect of your sense of smell is much more innate and influential in your daily life that you think.

Over time, humans have developed a very strong sense of smell, although they are far outmatched by other animals. Dogs are an obvious example. Bloodhounds, for instance, have about 300 times the number of odor-detecting cells in their noses as humans do. The snouts of dogs are also better adapted to detect odors than humans’ noses are, because they have a greater surface area, they are longer, and they have a filtering apparatus that cleans, warms and humidifies the air.

Although we many be at a disadvantage compared to dogs, we still have a remarkably powerful sense of smell. When people smell, air currents infused with chemicals swirl up the nose, passing over the moist olfactory epithelium on the roof of the nasal cavity and its roughly 12 million odor-detecting cells. Tiny cilia on each olfactory cell use proteins that grasp odor molecules as they enter the nose. These proteins work in different combinations to enable people to detect at least 10,000 scents. Sensory nerves carry signals from the odor-detecting cells to the brain’s olfactory bulb, which in turn relays information about the inhaled odors to other areas of the brain.

The sense of smell is significant because it affects us largely on the subconscious level. The neurons that deliver scent information from the nose to the brain’s olfactory bulb have close connections with the oldest areas of the human brain: the limbic system, the region that includes the amygdala, which governs emotions such as aggression and fear, and the hippocampus, which controls memory acquisition. These parts of the brain direct our subconscious emotional responses to our environment. Thus, odors trigger an emotional response before tapping into the cerebral cortex for conscious assessment. Scent defies logic because it takes effect before we can even think about what is happening.

Because our sense of smell is so tied to the subconscious, it makes sense that it facilitates a lot of different human social interactions, both casual and intimate. Much of this influence goes unnoticed, but it is very real. For instance, research demonstrates that we subconsciously use smell to assess a person’s likability, sexual attractiveness, and emotional state.

Women are particularly sensitive to smell. Scientific research shows that women are, on average, more sensitive to smell than men and are most sensitive to odors when they are ovulating. A female’s heightened sense of smell while fertile could aid in mate selection.

With this in mind, it makes sense to take full advantage of the subconscious attracting power of scent. Men who are looking for a leg up on the competition, should look into a new type of candle, the Original Mandle. This is an ultra-premium cologne scented candle that has proven itself as an excellent way to attract women subconsciously through scent. You can choose from candles that smell like Acqua Di Gio, Very Sexy For Him, or Eternity by Calvin Klein, to name a few. Now that you know more about the power of scent, you’ll appreciate even more the affect that comes from using the right scent at the right time.

Article source: Expert Articles