Research from Cornell University has found that women have the ability to accurately determine if they would like someone based on their smell before even meeting them. The study, recently published in Scientific Reports, discovered that a person’s natural scent, mixed with their choice of deodorants, perfumes, and even what they had for lunch, could be an invisible indicator of friendships. Our noses play a crucial role in making decisions on first impressions and continue to evolve as we get to know someone better.
The research team conducted an experiment with 40 women aged 18 to 30, where participants engaged in a “speed-friending” activity. Each woman wore plain cotton T-shirts for 12 hours to absorb each person’s “diplomatic odor,” a combination of their natural scent and the products they use. Participants then rated the scent of the T-shirts before entering the speed-friending event. They had ten rounds of four-minute conversations, which influenced their evaluations of the same person based on the scent of the T-shirt they had earlier sniffed.
The study revealed that initial judgments of how much someone would like a person based on their smell aligned with evaluations after a four-minute interaction. The researchers attributed this correlation to the subtle personal preferences reflected in someone’s “diplomatic odor,” which help our brains determine if we are likely to get along with them. Participants’ scent ratings changed significantly based on how much they enjoyed their interactions with each person, with conversations influencing their assessment of the person’s scent.
Participants found their evaluations of the person’s scent to shift after an in-person interaction, based on whether the conversation went well or not. This demonstrated that one interaction can change the way someone perceives another person’s body odor. The lead author of the study, Jessica Gaby, stated that she was surprised by the learning and the shift in the second set of scent readings based on a single interaction. This suggests that our noses may be processing information faster than our brains are.
The study highlights the role of scent in forming initial impressions and evolving perceptions of others. Our attunement to other people, even without being consciously aware of it, plays a significant role in how we judge and connect with others. The findings suggest that subtle cues in a person’s scent, such as dietary choices or laundry detergent preferences, can impact our judgments and evaluations of others. The study provides insights into the complex interplay between scent, social interactions, and the formation of friendships.
