Someone claimed that he finds female who smell good attractive, I heard. Hmm not surprisingly, most people do like things with fragrant smell, like flowers and fruits, and we try to simulate similar kind of fragrance on our body with flavored shampoo, body lotion, perfume etc. Personally, I find fruity-flavored hygiene products too strong. My best choice would be lightly fragrant cucumber, green tea, tulips and so on. [Discussion: What is your favorite shampoo fragrance?] So if you find people who smell good attractive, no biggie.
But a sweaty body odor? Eeeeewww. I actually read somewhere long time ago about the smell of male sweat turns females on. I haven’t experimented it myself because the thought of it just tends to gross me out. So to this day, I still cannot make sense of that statement. I mean, if I can’t even stand my own sweaty odor, why would I be able to stand another person’s sweaty odor and even like it?
Apparently, one article states, “male sweat contains a compound [pheromones] capable of lightening a woman’s mood and heightening her sexual arousal.” In the article, there is a short description of a study carried out at University of Northumbria (Newcastle, UK). It says that 2 groups of female students were asked to rate the attractive of guys shown in photos. Results show that females in the second group, where a cloth soaked in male sweat is present, rated the males in the photos to be more attractive.
Sounds weird? The following article suggests why this is true:
…The olfactory bulb at the top (inside) of the nose feeds directly into the old brain limbic system, which is the most primitive part of the brain. This is where the emotions, sexual responses and body language are initiated. That is why odors can evoke powerful basic instinctual emotions.
Pheromones are chemical molecules produced by insects, animals and humans…For the most part, these chemicals are used to stimulate sexual interest in the opposite sex.
…women were attracted to clothing that was worn by males with a very different immune system than their own. Presumably, this difference in immune systems allows the male and female to combine their defenses and give their offspring the best chances for survival. This research was repeated in the U.S. and Brazil with similar results.
…the human sweat smell is a natural, animal-like, musky aroma which can be emotionally stimulating and sexually attractive. To many men and women the smell of clean skin and a little fresh sweat is the most powerful turn-on.
There is historical evidence for the use of sweat to attract a mate. Once when Napoleon Bonaparte was returning home from a long period of warring he sent a message ahead to Josephine: “Home in three days. Don’t wash.” Old English folk tales passed down over many generations told young men how to seduce a young woman with his own sweat. The ’secret’ was to place a clean linen handkerchief under his clean arm pit while he danced and twirled the young lady making her dizzy. After the dance, as she recovered, he was to fan her and dab her perspiring forehead with his pheromone saturated handkerchief. The results reportedly were guaranteed to be rewarding.
