Falling in Love...

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Your Nose May Be To Blame

Cupid, take heed! You might want to revamp your image and replace the big red heart with another body part - the nose. There's evidence to suggest the schnoz might have more to do with initial physical attraction than does the scarlet pumper. Apparently, body fragrance is a major contributor to that heady, euphoric feeling we get when we fall in love.

We tend to think of fragrance as a personal preference, but before we can even develop a preference, that decision has already been influenced by physiology. Olfactory, or smell-cells, are located high up in the nose and are stimulated by odor. When aroused, they transmit messages to the part of the brain that is connected to our emotions. Nature intended it this way as a sort of innate detective; an odor can certainly warn you when it's time to make a hasty exit, or know when a stranger has entered your space; but most often, it’s those smell-good perfumes and colognes that promote an instant lure.

Fragrance doesn’t always promote attraction; sometimes it repels. Take, for instance, the skunk; when his personal space has been invaded, he arms his defensive aroma trigger and instantly, all living, breathing, rational species will quickly get the heck out of his way. Thankfully, humans are a tad more discretionary about their spatial considerations. Most women wouldn't even consider dating a man who let off a round of fragrance from his posterior every time he thought they got a little too close.

Ah, but fragrance isn’t the only culprit influencing our coupling inclinations. There is another motivator at work manipulating our sexual behaviors. This covert little cupid is a complex chemical substance known as a pheromone, and he’s coded within our own personal DNA. Before the advent of artificial fragrance, nature apparently thought we might need a little help getting past some of the body's not-so-pleasant-aromas in order to procreate and populate the earth. Pheromones, chemicals excreted by humans and animals, and undetectable by the naked nose, appear to be linked to coupling; certain pheromones are highly attracted to each other. They are excreted in sweat, and depending upon the chemical reaction in the body to the sweat, the skin can produce its own aromatic fragrance. Humans, blessed or cursed with many bodily aromas, have sought for centuries to cover their individual fragrance; thus, the perfume industry was born.

In recent years, the industry has taken significant steps in identifying the male and female pheromones by reproducing them in laboratories and including them in their fragrances. They've tapped into the human's need to connect and therefore, they've managed, to some extent, to motivate our sexual behavior.

It's a fact: The sense of smell does affect our behavior. The next time you find yourself undeniably attracted to someone, tip your nose and notice the aroma. Is there one? If there is, their natural attraction is probably being enhanced by a trigger ingredient in a perfumed product. If you can find no aroma, well, then Cupid Pheromone is doing his work incognito.


By Meggie Hardy