Au naturel
RESEARCH from Florida State University in 2010, conducted by psychological scientists Saul L Miller and Jon K Maner, found that male testosterone levels are influenced by natural female odours, particularly during ovulation, which is when women are most fertile.
The study — Scent of a woman: Men’s testosterone responses to olfactory ovulation cues, published in the journal Psychological Science — had women wearing T-shirts for three nights during various phases of their menstrual cycles. The male study participants smelled either the T-shirts worn by the women, or T-shirts that hadn’t been worn by anyone, and to check testosterone levels, collected saliva samples before and after the men smelled the T-shirts.
Subsequently, the researchers found that men who smelled T-shirts worn by women during ovulation had higher levels of testosterone than those who smelled shirts worn by non-ovulating women or men who smelled the unworn shirts. When asked to rate the odours of the shirts, men said those worn by ovulating women were the most pleasant.
The researchers said their findings are the first to suggest that men’s testosterone levels may be affected by natural odours that indicate a woman is fertile. They concluded that the biological response could trigger mating-related behaviours by males.
To test if the same thought is shared by men locally, All Woman asked a few readers whether they preferred a woman smelling of perfume, or one who went au naturel.
Alex:
A little spray goes a long way. I prefer a woman’s natural scent because when she’s heavily doused in perfume it affects my sinuses and we all know no one smells that sweet.
John:
I’d rather smell a woman’s natural scent than perfume. When a man is pursuing a woman he goes after two things: sight and scent. A part of the connection is the natural scent — perspiration after a workout, among other things. The natural scent helps me to enjoy the intimate moment and it enhances the experience of lovemaking, which is better than smelling soap. Fake scents have never appealed to me. I remember people by their scent and I’ve always been fascinated by the natural scent of a woman, especially the musty scent that comes from her bikini line — the area beneath her stomach. That smell is like drugs. I’ve always preferred the natural scent.
Ricardo:
Perfume is nice but it takes away the true sentimental value of your partner. When she’s in her natural element it’s more sexual. With my girlfriend, when she sweats she gets a little scent that really turns me on. She isn’t green, but the scent is unique to her and I absolutely love it.
Dexter:
I like a combination of both. Too much perfume is an overkill, so I don’t want to be overrun with it. It’s not sexy. I don’t mind a woman’s natural scent. I like it in the morning, not when she’s smelly, but just how she smells, or after a day’s work.
Kenneth:
The body works in a way where there are natural pheromones that attract males to females. However, I prefer perfume. Perfume triggers memories and scent brings on a flood of memories that influence people’s moods. The olfactory bulb has intimate access to the amygdala, which processes emotion, so if she has on a scent that I like it will turn me on.
–KH
