What is smell; is it that nasty smell coming from someone in the elevator or is that awesome smell you can not seem to get enough of.
It is olfaction, a sense of smell, the ability of humans and other animals to perceive odors; odor the resultant from the sense of smell. Smell is the response to chemicals that contact the membranes inside the nose. Smell is usually our first response to stimuli, just like the smell of fire alerts us before the flames and the smell of rotten food before we even taste it.
Just like taste, smell is a chemical sense detected by sensory cells call chemoreceptors. When smell stimulates the chemoreceptors in the nose that are alerted by smell, they pass on electrical impulses to the brain. The brain then communicates these patterns in electrical activity as specific odors and olfactory sensation becomes perception; which we recognize as smell.
Men vs. Women
On average women detect odors more easily than men, brain responses to odors are stronger in women than men. According to research the women's greater ability to detect odors and aromas may be linked to the estrogen hormone.
Another study showed that females are far better at singling out odors than men after repeated exposure to the origin of the smell by one ten-thousand; whereas men never improve their ability to recognize odors with experience.
It has been suggested by researchers that female sex hormones have a role in enabling exposure induce increases in odor sensitivity.
At the end of the day the structure of nose in women and men are the same; women do not have more receptors in the nose than men, only a better sense of smell.
I find it so interesting how its linked to a women's hormones. I was wondering if thats the reason why pregnant women can't stand certain smells. I guess we get a better sense of smell and they get a better sense of direction doesn't seem balance.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. The sense of smell in women is incredible. Men usually have harder time to recognize if something has gone bad and we, women, can smell it in an instance. Like you said the sense of smell has to do with women's hormones, that is why pregnant women have a very delicate sense of smell because their hormones are crazy during pregnancy.
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