What The Nose Knows - Sniffing Out Better Partners & More…

“I felt the chemistry right away. It was love at first sight” - Or was it compatibility at first sniff.

Namaste. I am Nuthan Manohar, founder of Me Met Me. I specialise in evidence-based wellness that links back to productivity.? I am also a pioneer in personalised therapeutic perfumery.?

The last few weeks have been spent developing signature therapeutic perfumes for a leading men's grooming brand in India. And prior to that, I was mindfully creating? blends to evoke the emotions depicted in chapters of a book by a leading Management Guru. In short, I was doubled over in research.??

And now, here I am, sharing with you some of the scented stories.

We may not realise it, but the sense of smell is one of the most powerful ways we interact with the world. The scent of a home-cooked snack can transport us back to our childhood.The scent of an old book, a familiar perfume, can instantly take us decades back in time or trigger powerful emotions.?

So how can your nose help you with compatibility? Did you know that you can sniff out? a genetically optimum partner based on their scent.

The Smelly T Shirt Study

In the study by Claus Wedekind, various women were asked to smell worn T shirts, and indicate the shirts they were most attracted to.. The results showed that women were most attracted to men with the most dissimilar immunity profile. Our nose knows a lot more than we give it credit for.?

When two adults have dissimilar immune profiles, their offspring will inherit their combined immunology. Consider a father who is resistant to malaria and a mother who is resistant to tick-borne diseases. This results in more genetic diversity and a better chance of surviving challenges.?

Here is a video of the T shirt experiment.

Furthermore, a study conducted by the University of New Mexico discovered that as the immunity profile became more similar (Major Histocompatibility Complex), women's sexual responsiveness to their partners decreased, while infidelity increased.

Scent of Stress

Though it sounds like fiction, the scent of fear is a fact. People can unconsciously detect whether someone is stressed or scared by smelling a chemical pheromone released in their sweat. In a study 60 women successfully sniffed out sweat pads of those who had watched a horror movie from those who watched a science documentary.?

Scent of Happiness

Our bodies produce different scents when we feel happy or afraid. These? chemosignals are almost odourless but we do sense them. Smelling a happy person makes you happier. And smelling a stressed out person makes you feel agitated. In a study when the women smelled the “happy sweat,” they started to display physical markers that reflect happiness, many of them had? a “Duchenne smile”—a smile that extends all the way to your eyes, as opposed to the fake grin.

Scent of Success

Yes we can smell success. Specific scents can make you feel more confident. Specific scents can make others perceive you as confident. Few scents universally make you seem wealthier. Ironically the? essential oils that can mimic the scent of success and wealth are expensive too.?

So what is my cheap protip to make a man be more more attractive, less stressed, happier and more successful - to your perfume blend add hints of vetivert, lavender, copaiba, saffron, grapefruit, rosemary, neroli, black pepper, pink pepper, labdanum,geranium and believe it or not coriander.?

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it... I'm listening; do reach out if you are interested in learning more about therapeutic perfumery and aromachology for yourself or your organisation.?

Would love to know about wellbeing topics that matter to you - topics that will help you navigate this mostly wonderful adventure known as life.?

Our next letter will discuss how you can incorporate rest & relaxation into your busy day and why you should.