Wednesday 17 December 2008

The Right Smell

I have recently debated a friend's theory concerning the influence of women's toe length on their sexuality. Traian (http://traianracu.blogspot.com) was claiming that by coincidence or not (?) the women who gave him the most pleasure between sheets had the second toe (counting from the inside of the foot) longer than the big toe. He was implying that such women were better at 'it' or enjoyed it more and thus made their partner feel better too.
I am notoriously debating anything withstanding debate at all, so I couldn't help myself but comment. I won't bore everyone (including myself) with the arguments yet again. However, during a conversation with another friend earlier this evening, I have reached a theory of my own regarding smells, with which I will indeed insist on boring you.
A few years ago I saw a documentary on Discovery about a study/experiment in a German university campus. The basics were the following: a number of volunteer students (male and female) were asked to wear the same T-shirt for a week (day and night) and shower only once a day during this time, with an odourless soap provided by the organisers. They were not to use any other cosmetics during that week. At the end of the week, each T-shirt was given a number and each participant had to choose one T-shirt (belonging to someone of the opposite sex) based solely on smell. The outcome was that most of the volunteers chose the T-shirt of the person whose genetics matched theirs best out of the whole group. The couples thus formed would have had the best genetic material in order to produce the healthiest children.
Of course the experiment was lengthy and its results likewise, but this was it in a nutshell. Why am I writing this here? Because I then realised that I had been already applying this theory all my life. There are people to whom I am instantly attracted if I smell them (and rest assured, I can distinguish between aftershave/perfume and a person's own smell) and likewise there are people who lose any trait of sexuality in my eyes if the smell is wrong. I am not talking about BO or any other bodily odours which shouldn’t normally be present in a hygienic person anyway. I refer here to a person’s innate and very unique skin odour. For lack of better comparison elements, some people smell similar to a newly born, some smell similar to a corpse. These are the extremes, of course, but enough to represent my meaning here.
Even someone’s sweat can on some level be attractive (sexy) or repulsive (disgusting, makes-me-wanna-throw-up sort of thing). However, if someone constantly smells of BO or doesn’t change their underpants daily, they automatically become a no-no due to my respect for hygiene and reluctance to its opposite, no matter how sexy their sweat may seem initially.
Those who smell ‘good’ to me, will probably smell ‘bad’ to another. My argument here is that smell is part of nature’s aids in fulfilling its supreme purpose: self-preservation and regeneration. If indeed we choose ideally matched partners from the genetics point of view based on smell, this assures, on some level, that the species is perpetuated by the mating of the most genetically suited partners for the ‘job’. Maybe we are closer to the behaviour of animals than we think and maybe our ‘free will’ is not so free after all.
I am not leading a scientific enquiry, nor do I set out to win an argument. I am simply stating my opinion and experience. So I can say that I am personally extremely influenced by this sensorial aspect of human life, sometimes consciously and sometimes unknowingly. I have found myself having sexual thoughts about guys I had known for ages and never considered potential partners, just because once I was close enough to smell them and that changed my whole perception and activated an instant sexual attraction to that person. Also, people whom I ‘fancied’ from a distance completely turned me off and made me wonder what the hell I saw in them in the first place after they were close enough for me to perceive, knowingly or unknowingly, their personal smell.
Maybe the term I have used above is wrong. Maybe smell isn’t what I perceive. Maybe it is pheromones or anything else a human’s body might give off. My point is that it somehow scares me that it (whatever ‘it’ is) has this sort of influence on my decisions and behaviour, even taken to the extreme, when someone smells so good that I find I am practically throwing myself at the person shortly after we’ve met. On the other hand I suppose I am grateful for it, because it is a sixth sense allowing me to sort potential partners and it functions as what may be called ‘gut feeling’.
Of course decisions in relationships will be mainly influenced by reason and feelings from then on, but that first encounter with the other’s aura of smell has never failed me. I have always discovered later in the relationship that the best sexual experiences (compatibility) were with those whose smell I could inhale for minutes on end without tiring and the worst with those whose warning smell I had chosen to ignore.

10 comments:

  1. stiam teoria. la mine conteaza prima vedere, imediat imi dau seama daca sunt sau nu compatibila cu cineva. pe actualul nu l-am placut din prima de aia nici acum nu ne intelegem!! iar cele mai tari relatii sexuale l-am avut intamplator fiindca eram cu chef iar aia, saracii, erau in zona. unul dintre ei a povestit ca m-a atins intamplator si dupa felul cum m-am arcuit a stiut ca o sa iasa cu scantei.

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  2. verdecrud, hm? Pai inteleg din post-ul tau ca nu iti placi propriul iubit si desi stiai acum multi ani ca asa va fi, ai ales si continui sa alegi zilnic sa fii cu el. Nu am sustinut niciodata ca am prieteni normali... Deh...
    Insa teoria mea cu mirosul... a fost probata sau nu? Ce inseamna ca stiai teoria? Stiai ca exista o teorie de genul asta? Sau stiai ca aceasta teorie functioneaza?

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  3. astept si io varianta in latina ca nu inteleg o boaba din ce ai scris.......

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  4. tre sa recunosc ca ai scris ceva...promit ca o sa citesc tot in zilele ce urmeaza :D

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  5. I agree with you about the smell theory, chica. Just like you, Ive been applying it all my life and I can always feel beyond the perfume/deo/spray/whatever the natural smell of the individual. And even more, I am attracted to the natural smell of that person. Well, all this provided it does not smell like sweat. :)

    And speaking of experiments, maybe you've also watched the one where the scent of the partner;s skin can release endorphins. Which I've also been applying so far, unconsciously. :D

    Gonna be back to read more of this bullshit. You just keep writing. ;)

    :D
    ~MOI! (MuHa)

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  6. eu zic ca e plauzibil experimentul.Trebuie sa ne atraga ceva si nu cred ca imaginea iti starneste cele mai puternice simturi.Pe mine unul cel putin intr-un caz dupa atractia vizuala...m-a atras in mod deosebit mirosul unei persoane.Ce pot sa zic ca m-a respins la un moment dat a fost o tipa care isi trata parul cu o anumita substanta...mirosul respectiv ma facea sa simt o repulsie pe care nu pot sa zic ca o intalnisem pana atunci.

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  7. Am vazut si eu mai demult documentarul despre "miasme".
    Nu stiu in ce masura e toata lumea receptibila la tehnica asta de seductie, ca pana la urma despre asta este vorba. Depinde de cat de amplificat este analizatorul fiecaruia.
    Si eu sunt sensibila la miros dar mai mult conteaza(pour moi seulement) ce imi transmite o persoana prin atitudine.Daca miroase si bine atunci e perfectiunea intruchipata!
    Trebuia sa pomenesti in articolul tau si cartea Parfumul de Patrick Suskind.
    Si ca o sugestie finala, Andreea, tu ai o multime de poze frumoase, nu vrei sa o schimbi pe cea actuala?
    te pup!

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  8. Anutza, nu am scris despre Parfumul lui Suskind pentru ca ar fi iesit un studiu prea lung. Cartea aia merita un articol separat.
    Poza e perfecta pentru subtitlul blogului. Nu incerc sa demonstrez ca sunt frumoasa. Incerc sa confirm prietenilor ca nu m-am schimbat si tot nebuna pe care o stiu ei raman :)

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