Whiff of a partner calms women’s anxiety‚ study finds
Women feel calmer after smelling the scent of a romantic partner on a T-shirt‚ a study in Canada shows.
Researchers found women who had inhaled a partner’s scent had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol before and after stressful experiences.
But the women who sniffed a stranger’s scent had the opposite reaction and felt more tense.
Lead author Marlise Hofer‚ from the University of British Columbia psychology department‚ said: “Many people wear their partner’s shirt or sleep on their partner’s side of the bed when their partner is away‚ but may not realise why they engage in these behaviours.
“Our findings suggest that a partner’s scent alone‚ even without their physical presence‚ can be a powerful tool to help reduce stress.”
In South Africa‚ anxiety is the most common psychological disorder among adults (16%)‚ followed by substance abuse (13%) and depression (10%). The stress study involved 96 heterosexual couples. Women were chosen as the “smellers” because they tend to have a superior sense of smell to men.
Source: timeslive.co.za