I hope your week has begun well as springtime is fully upon us.
A slightly bizarre BBC news story came to our attention over the weekend where apparently sniffing body odour could help with social anxiety. This link takes you to the 2 minute read – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65049739
Does this mean that should we feel anxious, we should start sniffing people around us? Personally, I would not advise this, as in a social environment it could create also sorts of chaos. This was in the national news which can be dangerous as people may take this as fact. The article actually states it’s ‘Their hunch that is the smell activates brain pathways linked to emotions, offering a calming effect – but it is far too soon to say if they are right’. There aren’t may definites or defined research outcomes here and the word hunch doesn’t really create a sense of scientific certainty.
It did make us wonder though if sweaty places become naturally more calming on the basis of their theory. Were non-aircon bars and clubs of the 90’s actually soothing and does this contribute to gyms and exercise classes being good for our mental health. We await the further research into this. In the meantime, we’d advise not sniffing random strangers in social situations just for now.
Best wishes,