Science Says That Pleasant Scents Make Us Seem More Attractive

     We already know that scent plays the most important role in attracting mates, but do we know why? New research from the Monell Chemical Senses Center found that people find faces more attractive when in the presence of pleasant odors because they tap into a certain part of the brain that processes emotional evaluation and neural processing. Odor pleasantness and facial attractiveness are directly integrated.

     In the study, 18 adults were asked to rate the attractiveness of faces in photographs. Meanwhile, different blends of fish oil and rose oil were released, ranging from strongly fishy to strongly rosy. Unsurprisingly, faces were rated more attractive when being rated while smelling the rose odor. This is because attractiveness is an emotional process– not rational– meaning that attractiveness is more about the judging person’s mood and emotions (subjective), then how the judged person actually looks (objective). And emotions are heavily influenced by smell. When you are smelling sweet things, you are instantly put in a better mood, and thus more likely to judge people favorably.

     Moral of the story? Smelling good is a scientific way to enhance your attractiveness. So spray some perfume on those pulse points and watch the admirers line up.