Male Sweat Makes Women Happy

guacamolefoo writes "CNN reports a study by the University of Pennsylvania that involved applying to the upper lips of women a solution containing underarm sweat from men who had not used deodorant in four weeks. It apparently elevated their moods and increased their fertility. Use this knowledge at your own risk."

Comments

Are they kidding?

[darkov]

a solution containing underarm sweat from men who had not used deodorant in four weeks.

This solution, if it came from my body, would rednder women unconcious, if it didn't kill them straight up. Even after one day my body odour is so powerful, the American militrary would declare it a weapon of mass destruction. Even thinking of the smell of my unwashed armpit after four week makes me woosy. What are these people thinking?

Re:Are they kidding?

[zulux]

a solution containing underarm sweat from men who had not used deodorant in four weeks.

My girlfried and I do a lot of distance hiking ~ 90 miles in a week, and strangly enough, after about the third day of hard, sweaty hiking without deoderant, you stop stinking like a rancid kitchen towel.

When friends come an pick us up at the end of out hikes - we've asked them if we stunk like limburger cheese, and never once has anybody piped up that we stunk. (They could be horribly polite)

In our slacker civilisation though, I stink like cat puke if I don't slather on some deoderant every day.

Re:Are they kidding?

[PeekabooCaribou]

Several years ago, I gave a lift to a pair of Appalacian trail hikers. They had started in Georgia, and I met them in New Hampshire.

"Rancid kitchen towel" isn't quite strong enough to describe the smell. They might as well have been decomposing in the back of my car.

On a different note, my last girlfriend enjoyed my underarm smell very much. To each her own, I guess.

Re:Are they kidding?

[zulux]

Several years ago, I gave a lift to a pair of Appalacian trail hikers. They had started in Georgia, and I met them in New Hampshire.

"Rancid kitchen towel" isn't quite strong enough to describe the smell. They might as well have been decomposing in the back of my car.

We see a few hikers here on the Pacific Crest Trail that stink like rotting tuna mixed with fermenting brussel sprouts - the're usually the hippy weed-hikers that roll their own feces into their hair.

Nice pepole, from about 100 feet away.

Also, stay away from the crazed skinny camo hikers - they usually smell like the rotting human flesh of their last victem.

Re:Are they kidding?

[You're All Wrong]

Stop using deodorant, wash several times a day with the simplest soap you can find (not scented). Your body will eventually stop trying to _fight_ the artificial situation you're currently exposing it to. You are over-producing the hormones and scents currently, and the mechanism your body takes to overproduce these is to over-sweat.

Shower in the morning, and have a freshen up - just with plain water or minimal soap - after lunch-time, and have another light wash after work. Within a month you'll start missing out the lunch-time wash as it won't be necessary any more. Wear cotton rather than man-made fibers, for improved breathability and wicking.

It's not _sweat_ that smells, it's _stale sweat_. Fresh sweat, as this study indicates, is not unpleasant to most people. However, some of the hormones it contains, such as androsterone, are smelt differently by different noses. To some it's like flowers, to some it's sweet, to others it's like a jock's jockstrap. So don't expect everyone to think that you smell divine.

I've not used an aftershave or deoderant for about 10 years, I simply make sure I keep good personal hygiene, and my girlfriend loves my smell. (She's one who likes androsterone)
This article isn't news to me at all - hell, my girlfriend always nuzzles up to my armpits when going for a hug! However, I have a very sedentary lifestyle, and a cool flat (I'm exothermic), so I sweat very little on the whole.

YAW.

Re:Are they kidding?

[Mxyzptlk]

It's not _sweat_ that smells, it's _stale sweat_.

Not quite - the human have different kinds of sweat glands, which we have over all of our bodies. The greatest concentration of sweat glands are on the palms of our hands and soles of our feet.

The watery kind of sweat is secreted by eccrine sweat glands; this kind of sweat consists of mostly water and some dissolved salts.

The smelly type of sweat comes from the apocrine, or specialized, sweat glands. The reason that the sweat smells is that the apocrine sweat glands in the armpits and genital-anal areas produce sweat that 1) stimulates bacterial growth, and 2) is oilier and is broken down into smelly components.

As a sidenote: yes, we "sweat" in our ear, but the apocrine sweat glands there produce earwax instead of normal sweat.

Re:

[darkov]

Other male fluids do this as well.

And on any part of their face, too.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

oh definitely.

I never knew women could have an orgasm simply by having someone ejaculate on their face.

however, i've noticed that the women i've dated usually make a face like i just asked them do drink ocean water mixed with raw eggs. they obviously were frigid or had emotional problems, which is why i didn't mind them cheating on me or dumping me.

see, porn is highly educational! now, if i can just find a bitch who likes to wear dog collars...

non-bully women

[Anonymous Coward]

common sense implies the sweat samples were provided by men who are computer geeks - just ask yourself "what class of society wouldn't shower for a month?"

additionally - lisa simpson has taught us that the sweat of geeks sets off some nerve in bullies.

conclusion - the women in this study were not bullies. which is good for us men - it means there are women out there who beat the sh*t out of us before we say hi.

Deodorant is a capitalist conspiracy!

[neuromortis]

I thought everyone knew that?

If it turns out...

[deglr6328]

...that the reported effect is real (the sample size of the experiment was ridiculously small), it would be interesting to see if the reverse situation would have a similarly involuntary and detectable effect in males. Also it might be interesting to do a double blind test to examine any biological origin of homosexuality since the presence or absence of sweat in a sample would be (consciously) undetectable(or presumably easily masked judging by the article) by the subject.

Pheromones

[arvindn]

Smell and pheromones play very important roles for many species. Though it is less in humans, it is still significant.

The study says there is no evidence for sexual arousal, but that this could be because the tests were done in a sterile enviroment. Biologically, however, the primary function of pheromones is sexual communication. Here is an article on pheromones in humans and animals. Relevant portion:

Smell has a dramatic effect on sexual desire for several reasons. Firstly, particular smells recall mental images that reduce anxiety, making a person more receptive to sex. Secondly, some odours stimulate a link in the brain.Scientists have ascertained that all animals produce pheromones (quite aptly translating from Greek as 'to transfer excitement') or scents in the form of a chemical substance, designed to stimulate behavioural responses usually some form of attraction or repulsion within the same species.

...

Pheromones are found naturally in minute amounts in the perspiration of all guys and we can recognise pheromone-power in cultural, historical trends and habits. Members of a tribe in New Guinea actually say good-bye by putting a hand in each other's armpit and rubbing themselves with it! In medieval England, lovers exchanged 'love apples' - peeled apples were kept in a woman's armpit until it absorbed her odour then given to her lover so he could inhale her fragrance while they were apart - supposedly the anticipated effect was that of an aphrodisiac confirming the true strength of pheromones (not forgetting that Medieval Europeans never washed, this was a sure test of love!). It is even reported that Napoleon sent a message to Josephine prior to his arrival home "Home in three days, don't wash"

I don't know if the Napoleon story is an urban legend and if it is related to the myth that Frenchwomen don't wash.

Re:Semen works too!

[MrWa]

ARgh...posted to fast. Correct link here.

Speaking from Experience

[jeramybsmith]

I have been to linux conferences where the collective BO was peeling the paint off the walls. I didn't see a single booth bunny who was happy.

I can already imagine the spam

[jpkunst]

jpkunst, discover the SECRET of male sweat! 56yyegjhhf

Re:Semen works too!

[chrisseaton]

New Scientist had an article about the effect of semen on women. The gist of it was that "ingestion" reduces the unwanted immune system reaction to the stuff when you need it for impregnation.

As I recall, the front cover was a milk style carton with "Semen" written on the side.

I am *not* kidding.

This explains

[s4ltyd0g]

why the chicks in Paris are so hot... (-;

There is nothing more pleasing to a woman...

[Anonymous Coward]

Than to see a man sweating his ass off to try make her happy.

Left out diet.

[TomorrowPlusX]

I should say right now my experience has been 100% identical. I haven't worn deodorant in years; my current girlfreind and previous ones have never said "you stink" and a couple have even said they like my smell. One was a fanatic for it -- but she was peculiar ;)

But you left out the one, singularly most important aspect -- diet. You MUST eat properly if you're going to stop using deodorant.

Stop eatinng fast food.
Stop eating processed food.
Stop drinking soda, drink more tea.
Eat fresh veggies, lean meats. Etc etc.

You'll find that along with smelling like a clean human being (which is, if you think about it, better than smelling like chemicals), if you're overweight -- you soon won't be. I dropped 20 pounds in a year. I've kept it off too. Amazingly, the effect of clean lifestyle is enough that I don't even need deodorant after riding my bike to work or going to the gym.

It's amazing what good can come of the most obvious changes in habits.