Smell is Key for Sex and Sanity

Psychologist calls it the most emotionally evocative in new book
By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 8, 2007 7:04 PM CDT
Smell is Key for Sex and Sanity
In her new book "Scent of Desire," psychology professor looks at the significance of smell in our mental state.   (Shutterstock.com)

Sight may be key for survival, but sex and sanity need the oft-overlooked sense of smell, says a Rhode Island psych prof. Rachel Herz’s The Scent of Desire argues that smell sparks the strongest feelings and memories, often in surprising ways: One woman hated the scent of roses because she first whiffed them at a funeral. "That has stuck with me," Herz said. 

Herz claims that Michael Hutchence, ex-leader of the band INXS, may have killed himself because he lost his sense of smell in an accident. Such a loss can be magnified by the loss of taste, a sense that depends on smell. Herz also contends that reactions to smells vary by gender: Women respond to men's scent, while guys go more for looks, Reuters reports. (More psychology stories.)

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