There’s no accounting for taste, or smell, in this case. What smells like a rose to one person may be a potent stench to another. Why is this the case? Why do some people like odors that other people despise? There are variety of theories about this. Some people in the know believe our preference toward certain odors is genetic in basis, meaning we are born with a preference towards certain smells. Other scientist believe odor preferences are learned behaviors. The idea here is that we like certain odors based on a learned emotional response to a smell because we associate it with a particular positive or negative event in our lives.
Which of these views is the most favored by scientific research? The latter view which suggests that odor preferences are learned behavior is best supported by scientific data. This is further supported by the fact that our smell preferences can change over time based on our life experiences. How we feel about a smell may be directly related to the experience we had when we were exposed to that particular odor.
So, what ARE the six potent and nasty smells that some people love? Here they are in no particular order.
1. Skunk odor
Don’t believe me on this one? Well, there’s a website devoted to the love of skunk odor. You can visit it at http://www.skunklover.com. This is just one of several places where closet skunk odor lovers can go and meet with other like minded skunk smell worshipers. If smell preferences are learned by experience, I wonder what experience these people had with a skunk that made such a positive impression?
2. Gasoline smell
This one’s actually quite common. I can remember as a child enjoying the interesting smell of gasoline when we stopped at our local gas station. It’s fascinating that the love of this smell is so common since some of the components of gasoline are toxic in high doses and carcinogenic in low doses, which doesn’t exactly qualify it as being an adaptive response. Possibly, people are subconsciously associating the smell of gasoline with a pleasant trip they took in their past.
3. Horse manure odor
Don’t believe me? Here’s a direct quote:
“I love it. The rich smell of horse poop, there’s nothing like it anywhere.” – From the book Kentucky Rich by Fern Michaels.
Could this odor preference be derived from a positive experience with horses? I’m skeptical about this one. I’ve had lots of positive experiences with dogs, but I still have no fondness for the smell of dog feces!
4. Pipe smoke
At last, an odor preference that makes sense! I had a grandfather who smoked a pipe on a frequent basis. Every time I smell the odor of a burning pipe, I have fond memories of him. An example of a learned smell preference? Pipe smoke odor must be a comfort odor, somewhat akin to a comfort food.
5. Mildew odor
Yes, it’s true a small minority of the people out there actually enjoy the smell of mildew. I saw several references to this on various online message boards with my own eyes. I don’t know about you, but I’m not rushing out to try to find a cologne called “Eau de Mildew”!
6. Body odor
Well, it might not be one of my personal favorites, but I can see this being an adaptive response for our species.Persons who manifest a strong body odor are likely to sweat heavily which suggests they are hard workers, driven to succeed and survive. If this is the case, why is the deodorant and antiperspirant industry such a lucrative one? Maybe we’d all be happier if we’d let our natural scent shine through. Right? I don’t know about you but I’m sticking with my Right Guard!
There you have it! Six potent, and sometimes nasty, smells that some people love. (but probably won’t admit to it). It’s not so strange to be strange after all, is it?
