Dear Science,
I switched to a more natural deodorant, and I think I smell just fine. But my roommate says the whole apartment now smells like B.O. Could I really be stinking up the place that badly without noticing it? Why don't we notice our own smell?
Here’s what science has to say:
There are two big components to this phenomenon, and one happens very quickly: We experience smell when molecules bombard receptors in our noses, and if they’reoverrun with the same smell for a few moments they’ll tire out. It’s like a refractory period for your nose. That’s why you might think that your roommate’s garlicky meal smells super pungent when you first walk in the front door, but stop noticing it a few minutes later.
“The olfactory system is one of the world’s best difference detectors, and that’s how it was designed,” said Pamela Dalton, a psychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center. Your nose helps you quickly detect things that are new and strange, but it has no use for the boring and typical. That’s where more long-term loss of sensitivity comes in: Over time, even if the receptors in your nose pick up on a smell, your brain might start filtering it out as useless information.
Dalton has done studies in which subjects place air fresheners in their bedrooms for a few weeks at a time. Unsurprisingly, after a few days the study participants reported that they no longer noticed the smell when they walked in, and they were less sensitive to the scent when they wereexposed to it during visits to Dalton’s lab.
“What seems to happen in long-term adaptation is that the receptors that would normally respond to these smells almost turn off after being bombarded for a few weeks,” Dalton said. “You don’t see that in vision or hearing. You can be adapted to a sound or sight, but generally the systems recover pretty quickly. The fact that it takes two or three weeks to regain sensitivity is very unique.”
Scientists aren’t sure why our noses act differently than our eyes and ears, but it may bethat sensors that have “turned off” to familiar smells have to die and be replaced before the scent can be smelled anew. That happens every few weeks, and without that regeneration cycle we likely wouldn’t be able to smell much of anything.
“We’re bombarded constantly by all sorts of smells,” Dalton said. “If the receptors didn’t regenerate, we’d all beanosmic [unable to smell] by the time we were 1 year old.”
So unless some sudden event makes you profoundly more pungent than usual or you stick your nose right into a sweat stain, you’re probably not going to smell yourself. Even if you change your personal hygiene routine in a way that makes the folks around you shudder, you’re likely to get used to the new smells of your body pretty quickly. Even if you catch a sudden whiff, Dalton cautioned, you must remember that the smell is even stronger to strangers.
Since you can’t get away from your own body, there’s no way for your nose to regain sensitivity.
“Unfortunately, you really just have to rely on the opinion of a close friend or spouse,” Dalton said.
FAQs
Scientists aren't sure why our noses act differently than our eyes and ears, but it may be that sensors that have “turned off” to familiar smells have to die and be replaced before the scent can be smelled anew.
Is it normal to not be able to smell your own body odor? ›
Although we can indeed smell our own odors — a quick sniff of the underarm will bear this out — over time, we become desensitized to our particular scent, said Hiroaki Matsunami, a molecular neurobiologist at Duke University.
Can people smell me if I can smell myself? ›
If you can smell yourself through your pants, other people may not smell anything. That is because we all have different smell perceptions, and certain factors, such as distance, location, and sensitivity, affect how we smell.
Why can't you smell your own house? ›
So, when we ask “Why can't I smell my house?” the answer is that your home is a safe space, so your brain filters out the information your nose is sending it. Your grandparent's home may be a safe space too, but nonetheless, it is a less familiar environment when you arrive so your brain may be on alert.
Why can't I smell what I smell like? ›
Parosmia is a distorted sense of smell. It happens when smell receptor cells in your nose don't detect odors or transmit them to your brain. Causes include bacterial or viral infections, head trauma, neurological conditions and COVID-19. Parosmia is usually temporary, but in some cases, it's permanent.
Why can't I smell my own natural scent? ›
We grow accustomed to our own smells, and more readily detect sudden changes in aroma nearby. The same applies to your home or office. You get used to the smell, and only detect it when you leave for some time and return.
How do I tell if I smell bad? ›
Go take a shower, watch TV, read a book for a while. Then, collect the clothes and give them the sniff test, especially around the pit area and anywhere you sweat profusely. If you find an odor that is unpleasant, that might be an indicator that you have a body odor problem that is leaching into your clothing.
What is it called when you can't smell your own house? ›
It's called olfactory adaptation, and it's the same reason you can't smell your own breath, your body odor, or even your perfume after a few minutes. This, cognitive psychologist Pamela Dalton told New York Magazine, may be a good thing.
Why do I smell like an old folks home? ›
As our skin matures, its natural antioxidant protection declines. This decline results in greater oxidation of lipid acid. When lipid acid is oxidized, the chemical compound nonenal is produced, giving off the “old people smell” that many of us are familiar with. Exactly why this happens is still a mystery.
Why do some people's houses smell so bad? ›
A weird smell in a house can come from numerous sources, including appliances, furniture, carpets, fabrics or issues like mold or mildew. Occasionally, odors may be caused by sewer gas, natural gas leaks or animals that have died between walls, in attics or under decks.
Body odor is caused by a mix of bacteria and sweat on your skin. Your body odor can change due to hormones, the food you eat, infection, medications or underlying conditions like diabetes. Prescription-strength antiperspirants or medications may help.
What vitamin deficiency causes loss of smell? ›
It could have been worse—a severe vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to deep depression, paranoia and delusions, memory loss, incontinence, loss of taste and smell, and more.
Why can't we smell our own perfume? ›
Therefore, the reason why you stop smelling your perfume is because your brain has marked your perfume as your own smell as you wear it often. The second reason is because you have nose fatigue as you smell it too often. Hence, after resting your nose for awhile, you are able to smell it again.
Why do I smell even though I clean myself? ›
Stress, certain medications, and alcohol use can also cause you to sweat more than usual. If you're still looking for a cause, look at your diet. Certain foods can change the way you smell. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower produce gas.
Why do I feel like I stink but I don't? ›
Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS), also known as olfactory reference disorder, is an underrecognized and often severe condition that has similarities to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). People with ORS think they smell bad, but in reality, they don't.
Does everyone have their own smell? ›
Every person has a unique scent. “It's like a fingerprint,” says Johan Lundström, a neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. “There is a large genetic component to body odor. Even trained sniffer dogs have a hard time distinguishing between identical twins, unless the twins are on different diets.”
