Why are we so sensitive to bodily odors?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the reasons behind human sensitivity to bodily odors, examining both evolutionary and cultural perspectives. Participants consider the implications of hygiene, social norms, and individual preferences in relation to attractiveness and repulsion based on smell.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that the aversion to certain smells, such as body odor, may be an evolved trait to avoid health risks associated with uncleanliness.
  • Others argue that context plays a significant role in how odors are perceived, suggesting that familiarity with certain smells can alter perceptions of attractiveness.
  • A participant mentions that individual attraction can override general repulsion to odors, depending on the person's appeal.
  • Some contributions highlight cultural differences in the acceptability of body odors, indicating that standards of hygiene and attractiveness vary across societies.
  • There is a suggestion that the interpretation of smells may be influenced by social norms and personal experiences, rather than being purely instinctual.
  • A later reply questions the notion that humans are hard-wired to find certain odors repulsive, proposing that conditioning and cultural context may shape these perceptions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the origins of sensitivity to bodily odors, with no consensus on whether this sensitivity is primarily biological, cultural, or a combination of both. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the extent to which these factors influence individual perceptions.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the limitations of their observations, including the influence of cultural conditioning and personal experiences on odor perception. There are also references to historical practices and varying standards of hygiene that may affect current attitudes toward body odor.

  • #31
Perhaps it's because old cats don't have much to smile about.
 
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  • #32
chemisttree said:
Perhaps it's because old cats don't have much to smell about.
Corrected.
 
  • #33
JonMoulton said:
Unpleasant body odors usually are bacterial products. We sweat, the bugs feed, their metabolic products don't smell good. Fresh sweat doesn't smell so bad; it's the bacterial metabolites that reek.

Correct. This is the response that better answers the question. Your body doesn't by itself stink. It's the bacteria that flock to the moisture on your body that stinks. And because many bacteria are not kind to us, we have an adverse response to this. The fact that people used to go months without bathing and it did not stop them from social and sexual activity may mean that we only now have so many [smelly] bacteria. Sweat that has just come off of you and has not yet had contact with the smelly bacteria has no noticeable smell.
As far as feces and flatulence smelling, this is primarily due to what we eat. I imagine things you eat which cause an excessive amount of methane byproduct will give you smellier farts, because methane by itself stinks.
 
  • #34
lilythmagebor said:
methane by itself stinks.
Actually http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/methane/methane.html" is an odourless gas. Perhaps you are thinking of natural
gas of which methane is a large component. In that case a sulphurous
component (e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanethiol" ) is added, which gives its characteristic scent.
 
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  • #35
Don't forget 3-methylindole, AKA skatole. That's the pure stuff.
 
  • #36
Actually, having lived and worked in the bush for ten and twenty day stints, I know that after about a week, you do not smell anymore. I believe this is because the bacteria and natural oils on our bodies get into balance. Your hair doesn't look or smell dirty. Your face isn't oily. It's quite interesting.

Also, diet has a huge impact on a person's smell. Often with our very acidic diets today, our bodies smell more. I have gone on long juice cleanses to 'reset' my body's systems and clean out my digestive tract. The body stinks badly after three to five days (regardless of how many times you brush your teeth or shower) and then you just don't smell anymore--no coating on your tongue, no need for deodorant. Cool hey?
 
  • #37
biophilia23 said:
Actually, having lived and worked in the bush for ten and twenty day stints, I know that after about a week, you do not smell anymore. I believe this is because the bacteria and natural oils on our bodies get into balance. Your hair doesn't look or smell dirty. Your face isn't oily. It's quite interesting.
You still stink, you just get used to it so you don't notice.

Frequent washing actually stimulates oil production, the longer you go without washing, the less oil you produce.
 
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  • #38
Evo said:
You still stink, you just get used to it so you don't notice.

Frequesnt washing actually stimulates oil production, the longer you go without washing, the less oil you produce.

So if you and a group of people you live around smell for a long period of time, no one notices anymore?
 
  • #39
Drakkith said:
So if you and a group of people you live around smell for a long period of time, no one notices anymore?
You get used to it, as long as it's not changed. That's why people that live in stinky houses don't realize how bad the house and everyone and everything in it smells.
 
  • #40
If you somehow sterilize your skin with maybe rubbing alcohol and then don't bathe (in a sterile bubble to avoid bacteria) would you avoid BO?
 
  • #41
Antiphon said:
If you somehow sterilize your skin with maybe rubbing alcohol and then don't bathe (in a sterile bubble to avoid bacteria) would you avoid BO?
Since rubbing alcohol won't kill all external bacteria, and under the surface we have more bacteria in glands, mouth, etc... my opinion is no.
 
  • #42
Antiphon said:
If you somehow sterilize your skin with maybe rubbing alcohol and then don't bathe (in a sterile bubble to avoid bacteria) would you avoid BO?

And there's bacteria on everything you touch including the air you exist in. If you wipe out bacterial cultures on your body, you provide a very fertile virgin soil in which all sorts of hazardous things can take over.

To be clear: the non-harmful bacteria on your skin provide hefty competition against the invasion of more harmful types that would be happy to feed on your skin waste products.

This can be very bad. It happens in the stomach and colon, when harmless or even beneficial bacteria get purged, and some very nasty bugs can get a foothold, making you very sick and possibly dead.
 
  • #43
Antiphon said:
If you somehow sterilize your skin with maybe rubbing alcohol and then don't bathe (in a sterile bubble to avoid bacteria) would you avoid BO?
Skin flora is a necessary component of your body and provides not only protection in the form of competition with harmful bacteria but also stimulates your immune system. The latter is paramount, being too clean especially in childhood is hypothesised as causing allergic diseases in later life.
 
  • #44
Have you ever gone hiking-climbing with a member of the opposite sex? You're going to both get a bit fragrant with the exertion. That should not be a problem, if you are a normal person. In fact, you might find a new obsession.
 
  • #45
Love is in the air, at least it smells like it. :smile:
 

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