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Sniffing out smell’s effects on human behaviour

Olfaction could influence how people respond to threats or select a partner. To investigate, researchers need to design experiments that can capture its effects.
  1. Michael Eisenstein

    1. Michael Eisenstein is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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A young woman sits in a reclining chair in a laboratory, waiting to participate in what she thinks is an effort to test some electrocardiography equipment. A researcher enters the room, greets the volunteer, and shakes her hand. After a brief chat, the investigator steps back out of the lab — and in seconds, the volunteer brings her hand to her face and sniffs.

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Nature 606, S18-S20 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01632-z

This article is part of Nature Outlook: Smell, an editorially independent supplement produced with the financial support of third parties. About this content.

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